Photo : BSS

RANGPUR, April 29, 2025 (BSS) - After exceeding the set farming target, 
farmers are optimistic about bumper Boro rice yield as harvesting has already 
begun in Rangpur Agricultural Region this season.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said farmers have 
already harvested Boro rice in 11,605 hectares of land producing 43,679 
tonnes of clean rice with an excellent average yield rate of 3.76 tonnes of 
clean rice per hectare.
 
Harvesting of Boro rice, so far, has been completed in 2.28 percent of the 
land under Boro rice cultivation and this process will accelerate in the 
region from next month.
 
Meanwhile, farmers in the region have expressed satisfaction with the current 
excellent Boro rice yield rates, the market price of newly harvested Boro 
paddy, and the announced government procurement rates.
 
The DAE officials said a target of producing an all-time record 22,94,195 
tonnes of clean Boro rice (34,41,292 tonnes of paddy) from 5,08,978 hectares 
of land has been fixed for Rangpur Agricultural Region this season. 
 
"However, farmers have cultivated Boro rice on 5,09,056 hectares of land 
exceeding the fixed farming target by 0.02 percent this time," Additional 
Director of the DAE's Rangpur region Md. Shafikul Islam told BSS today.
 
To ensure smooth cultivation of Boro rice, the DAE, BADC, Northern 
Electricity Supply Company Limited and Rural Electrification Board and other 
related organisations are ensuring supply of fertilisers and electricity to 
farmers.
 
Presently, tender Boro rice plants are growing fabulously amid favorable 
climatic conditions this season in all five districts-- Rangpur, Gaibandha, 
Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari-- in the region.
 
Presently, 2.19 percent of the tender Boro rice plants are now in the panicle 
initiation, 13.91 percent in the booting, 39.01 in the flowering, 23.26 in 
the milking, 14.05 percent in the doughing and 5.31 percent in the ripening 
stages, are growing superbly.
 
To enhance Boro rice yield at lower costs by reducing lifting of underground 
water, farmers are adopting conservation agriculture-based technologies like 
Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) irrigation methods and organic pests' 
management in farming the crop.
 
Adopting eco-friendly perching pests' management method, farmers have already 
set up bamboo poles or tree branches on 3,94,190 hectares of Boro rice fields 
so that birds can roost on those and eat harmful insects helping farmers 
combat pests' attacks naturally.
 
Talking to BSS, farmers Manik Mia of Darshana area and Ariful Haque Batul of 
Najirdigar village in Rangpur Sadar said tender plants of Boro rice on their 
seven acres of land each are growing wonderfully, predicting a bumper yield 
this time.
 
Farmer Mofizar Rahman of Dolapara village under Taraganj upazila in Rangpur 
Sadar upazila said he has cultivated Boro rice on one acre of land and tender 
plants of the crop are growing excellently predicting a super bumper 
production.
 
Independent Medal 2018 (food security) winner rice scientist Dr. Md. Abdul 
Mazid urged farmers to adopt the AWD irrigation method, use organic 
fertilisers and organic pests' management in farming Boro rice to get maximum 
yield, also saving underground water.