RAJSHAHI, April 17, 2022 (BSS) - Most of the farming fields of Boro paddy

with golden hue have become eye-catching at present predicting satisfactory
yield everywhere in the region including its vast Barind tract.

Farmers are passing busy times in nursing the crops at the final stage of
Boro farming as they are very much hopeful about getting cherished yield like
the previous couple of seasons.

According to the sources concerned, farmers have cultivated Boro paddy on
more land compared to the previous season because they are delighted with the
selling price of transplanted Aman paddy at present.

Mozammel Haque, 54, a farmer of Shitlai village under Paba upazila, has
cultivated paddy on 17 bighas of land this season whereas the previous
season's acreage was 15 bighas.

Good yield and enhanced selling prices of both paddy and straw have
encouraged him to cultivate paddy on more lands.

"I have sold only straw worth around Taka 85,000 in addition to the paddy
last season," Haque said, adding many of his co-villagers have attained
success in paddy farming.

Currently, businessmen and wholesalers purchase paddy and straw from the
farmers' field directly as the grassroots growers are being benefited in many
ways, said Atanu Sarker, Sub Assistant Agriculture Officer.
 
He added that the price of both paddy and rice during the previous Boro, Aush
and Aman were seen to increase as a result of government-level rice
procurement drives inspiring the farmers to cultivate Boro paddy on more
lands.
 
Sarker also said the farmers can harvest some of the advanced varieties
including BR-28 within the next five to six days.
 
 "I have got a better price of the latest Aman paddy. So, I have cultivated
Boro paddy on 10 bighas of land," said Nabir Uddin, a farmer of Kalma village
under Tanore upazila, adding the farmers are happy over paddy cultivation.
 
Tozammel Ahmmed, a farmer of Mayamari village under Niamatpur upazila, said
he has cultivated paddy on 18-bigha of land this season.
Meanwhile, Boro farming has exceeded the target by 8,790 hectares of land in
Rajshahi division this season.
 
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has set the target of producing
35.51 lakh tonnes of paddy from 8.12 lakh hectares of land in all eight
districts of the Rajshahi division during the current season.

But, fortunately, the enthusiastic farmers have brought 8.21 lakh hectares of
land generating scopes of additional rice production, Khayer Uddin Mollah,
Additional Director of DAE, said.

Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has taken diversified steps
including farmers' training, projection plot and supplying of the newly
developed high yielding varieties among the growers to make the IRRI-Boro
farming a total success.
 
BRRI has released 14 Boro varieties of paddy which are appropriate for
Rajshahi region including its Barind area, said Dr Fazlul Islam, Principal
Scientific Officer of BRRI, adding, of those, Brridhan50 is export-oriented
premium quality rice, Brridhan58 is comparatively high yielding and
Brridhan84 is iron and zinc-enriched.

The conventional varieties are being replaced by modern varieties which are
good signs for the region in terms of boosting yield, he said.
 
"We have ensured necessary irrigation facilities to the paddy farming fields
through operating pumps in the country's northwest region," said Engineer
Abdur Rashid, Executive Director of Barind Multipurpose Development
Authority.

In the previous season, farmers produced 35.63 lakh tonnes of Boro rice from
8.15 lakh hectares of land in the division.