RANGPUR, July 23, 2021 (BSS) – Excellent output of Aush rice makes farmers happy as harvest of the crop continues in full swing in all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region during the current season.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said farmers will transplant Aman rice seedlings on the same land after completing harvest of the less irrigation water consuming and short duration Aus rice by the middle of the next month.
Earlier, the DAE had fixed a target of bringing 62,199 heaters of land under Aush rice cultivation to produce over 1.75 lakh tonnes of clean rice (2.63 lakh tonnes of paddy) for all five districts of the region this season.
“Farmers have finally cultivated Aush rice on 62,090 hectares of land, less by only 109 hectares against the fixed farming target this season in all eight districts of Rangpur agriculture region,” he said.
Meanwhile, farmers have already harvested Aush rice on 29,151 hectares of land in the region and produced 1,01,124 tonnes of clean rice at an excellent average yield rate of 3.47 tonnes of clean rice per hectare of land.
Talking to BSS, Additional Director of the DAE’s Rangpur region Bidhu Bhusan Ray, said cultivation and production of Aush rice continues increasing consistently in Rangpur agriculture region.
Cultivation and production of Aush rice is increasing as a result of various pragmatic steps taken by the government like distribution of intensives in terms of quality seeds and fertilisers, motivational campaigns and providing technical support to farmers.
“Farmers are expanding Aush rice farming as an additional crop during the off-season after Boro rice harvest and before transplantation of Aman rice seedlings to enhance rice production every year,” Ray said.
He said production of Aush rice increased constantly during the last eight years in Rangpur region contributing to ensuring food security amid adverse impacts of climate change.
Earlier, farmers produced 51,722 tonnes of Aush rice from 17,523 hectares of land in 2013 while 59,685 tonnes of rice from 19,205 hectares in 2014 and 61,676 tonnes of Aush rice from 21,063 hectares of land in 2015 in the region.
They produced 65,505 tonnes of Aush rice from 21,751 hectares of land in 2016 while 73,543 tonnes of Aush rice from 24,717 hectares in 2017 and 1.23 lakh tonnes of Aush rice from 40, 618 hectares of land in 2018.
Farmers produced 1.48 lakh tonnes of clean Aush rice from 47,552 hectares of land despite huge damage to the crop on 7,754 hectares of land caused by floods in 2019.
“Besides, farmers produced a record 1.83 lakh tonnes of clean Aush rice from 59,092 hectares of land even after damage to the crop on 4,598 hectares of land caused by floods in 2020 in the region,” Ray said.
Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid said cultivation of Aush rice has become popular among farmers following various time-befitting steps taken by the government in recent years.
"After harvesting Aush rice by mid-August, farmers can easily cultivate Aman rice on the same land to enhance rice production,” Rashid said.
Talking to BSS, farmers Mofizar Rahman, Jahangir Hossain, Moyen Uddin and Aiyub Ali of Rangpur Sadar upazila said they will transplant Aman rice seedlings on the same land after harvesting Aush rice by mid-August next.