RANGPUR, Sept 25, 2021 (BSS) – Bumper Aman production is expected here despite the monsoon–triggered flood tore through the region recently, causing crop lands to damage this season.

Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) sources said farmers exceeded the cultivation target by 1844 hectares of land as 6,12,451 hectares were fixed previously to bring under farming to produce over 17.19 lakh tonnes of clean rice (25.79 lakh tonnes of paddy) this season.

But the recent monsoon flood marked fold of worry on farmers’ forehead as it damaged Transplanted Aman rice on 1965 hectares of land, pushing them in thinking of not getting the desired output.

“Farmers had transplanted Aman rice seedlings on 6,14,295 hectares of land exceeding the fixed farming target by 1,844 hectares,” said Agriculturist Bidhu Bhusan Ray, Additional Director of the Rangpur DAE.

Earlier, farmers had also prepared Aman rice seedbeds on 34,066 hectares of land exceeding the fixed target which was 30,455 hectares.

The flood has damaged Aman rice seedbeds on 67 hectares of land affecting 28,694 farmers in three districts out of five in the region a few days back. But additional seedbeds prepared by farmers caused no seedling crisis for Aman rice cultivation.

 “After the recent flood, Aman rice plants are growing superbly now on the rest of 6,12,330 hectares of land amid excellent climate conditions predicting its bumper production,” Ray said.

Currently, tender plants of high yielding varieties of Aman rice are growing on 5,31,427 hectares of land, hybrid on 61,351 hectares and local varieties on 19,552 hectares of land after damages caused by the flood.

Officials of the DAE and other agriculture related organisations and some NGOs are assisting the flood-affected farmers in tackling the situation.

Most of the flood-affected farmers have already transplanted late varieties of Aman rice seedlings anew at fewer places and are taking preparation for cultivation of substitute crops on the flood-affected croplands.

“We have already sent the statistics of flood-hit farmers to the government and are expecting to get allocations to assist them in recouping crop losses they incurred during the recent flood,” Ray added.

Talking to BSS, farmers Saiful Islam of village Satvita and Abu Bakker of village Noyagram in Ulipur upazila of Kurigram said floodwater submerged their Aman rice crops on 50 decimal and 66 decimals of land respectively this season.

Farmers Sultan Mahmud of Char Korai Barishal and Saidar Rahman of Char Boraibari village of Kurigram said the recent flood devoured their Aman rice crop on 40 decimals and 210 decimals of land respectively.

Farmers Azizur Rahman of village Pateswari and Anwar Hossain of village Boraibari in Nageshwari upazila of Kurigram said floodwater damaged their Aman rice on 70 decimals and 66 decimals of land respectively.

However, most of the flood-hit farmers did not incur major crop losses as they cultivated flood-tolerant varieties of Aman rice on their croplands where the submerged Aman rice plants are growing again after recession of floodwater.