RANGPUR, Nov 20, 2022 (BSS) - Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and farmers are expecting a bumper production of Aman rice as its harvest continues now in full swing with excellent yield rate in Rangpur agriculture region.
 
“Farmers are happy with the highest yield rate of Aman rice in the last ten years in terms of clean grains this time,” Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Mohammad Shah Alam told the national news agency.
 
The government has fixed a target of producing 18,07,916 tonnes of Aman rice in terms of clean grains (27,11,874 tonnes of paddy) from 6,15,685 hectares of land for all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region this season.
 
Despite less rainfall amid a drought-like situation, enthusiastic farmers have cultivated Aman rice on 6,15,981 hectares of land exceeding the fixed farming target by 296 hectares of land.
 
“Of them, farmers had cultivated short duration varieties of Aman rice on over 94,000 hectares of land and already completed harvest of these varieties with excellent yield rates,” Alam said.
 
Till Friday, farmers have harvested Aman rice on over two-lakh hectares of land producing 6.04-lakh tonnes of clean rice grains with an excellent average yield rate of 3.02 tonnes per hectare of land.
 
“We are expecting a super bumper production of Aman rice this season in the region that produces a huge surplus of rice and contributes to ensuring national food security,” he said.
 
Production of Aman rice will not be hampered in the region despite the global crises caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine War and recent rainfall during super cyclone ‘Sitrang’ this season.
 
 “Rather, rainfall during super cyclone ‘Sitrang’ worked as a tonic for growing Aman rice plants helping to grow superbly combating pests attacks,” Alam said, adding that farmers are expecting a super bumper production of the crop this season.
 
After visiting Aman rice fields in different rural areas of Rangpur region in recent days, he said tender Aman rice plants got ample sunlight to grow superbly despite less rainfall resulting in excellent output of the crop.
 
Farmers are now getting 4.50 to 6.50 tonnes of Aman rice in terms of paddy per hectare of land from harvesting the crop in five districts of Rangpur agriculture region.
 
“After harvesting Aman rice, farmers are sowing seeds of early variety potato, winter vegetables and other Rabi crops on the same land creating huge jobs for farm-labourers and increasing crop intensity,” Alam added.
 
Farmers Manik Mian of village Darshona and Ariful Haque of village Najirdigar in Rangpur Sadar upazila said varieties of Aman rice have been cultivated on their six and 7.50 acres of land respectively this season.
 
“As harvest of the crop continues in full swing with excellent yield rates, we are expecting high yield rates of the crop between 45 and 55 mounds (every 40-kg is one mound) per acre of land this time,” Manik added.       
            
Farmers Echhahaq Ali, Nurul Haque, Harun Ar Rashid and Amenur Rahman of different villages in Sadar, Badarganj, Gangachara and Kawnia upazilas of Rangpur said that they are getting excellent yield rates from harvested their cultivated Aman rice crop.
 
They expressed happiness over the current excellent market price of newly harvested Aman paddy between Taka 1,200 and 1,350 per mound depending on varieties.