RANGPUR, Oct 02, 2018 (BSS) – Harvest of short duration Aman paddy has begun in this peak hour of the ‘seasonal lean period’ of ‘Aswin’ and ‘Kartik’ months creating huge jobs for farm-labourers in Rangpur agriculture region.
Officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said harvest of short duration and early varieties of Aman paddy will continue during the whole seasonal ‘lean period’ that factually disappeared from the region in the last 10 years.
Horticulture specialist of the DAE at its regional office Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam said farming of short duration rice varieties has become popular in the region combating seasonal ‘monga’ successfully to fulfill a crucial pledge of the present government.
The farmers have cultivated Aman paddy on over 6.03 lakh hectares of land exceeding the fixed target of 5.94 lakh hectares in the current season.
Of them, the farmers have cultivated early and short duration Aman rice varieties on 61,012 hectares of land, 10.10 percent of the totally cultivated land area this season, in all five districts under Rangpur region.
The farmers have cultivated hybrid varieties of short duration Aman rice on 25,781 hectares of land and high yielding varieties of short duration Aman rice on 35,231 hectares of land in the region.
“The farmers have mostly cultivated short duration Aman rice varieties like BINA dhan7, BRRI dhan33, BRRI dhan39, BRRI dhan56, BRRI dhan57, BRRI dhan62, ‘Tiya’, ACI-1, 2, 3 and 6, ‘Hira-2’, ‘Moyna’, SL8S, ‘Jagoron’, ‘Aloron’, ‘Dhanigold’, ‘Ispahani’, ‘Nobin’ and ‘China’ this time,” Islam said.
Deputy director of DAE Md Moniruzzaman said the farmers already completed harvest of short duration Aman paddy on 3,077 hectares of land producing 9,135 tonnes of clean Aman rice in the region.
“At this stage of harvesting, the farmers are getting 2.97 tonnes yield rate of clean Aman rice per hectare (4.46 tonnes of paddy per hectare),” he said.
Farmers Golam Mostafa, Manik Mian, Ariful Haque and Noor Mohammad of different villages here said they got 4.6 tonnes paddy yield per hectare of BINA dhan7, BRRI dhan33 and BRRI dhan56 after harvesting in recent days.
Rice scientist Dr Md Abdul Mazid, who got the Independence Medal (food security) this year, said expanded farming of short duration rice with its early harvest created a stronger footing to combat seasonal ‘monga’ 10 years back in the region.
“The present government has successfully eliminated seasonal ‘monga’ following large-scale cultivation of short duration Aman rice and its harvest during ‘Aswin’ and ‘Kartik’ months side by side with conducting massive social safety net programmes,” he said.
“Soon after harvesting short duration Aman rice, the farmers are cultivating subsequent early variety potato, winter vegetables, mung bean, maize and mustard on the same land to reap more benefits like in the previous years,” Dr Mazid added.