Photo: BSS

 
RANGPUR, Nov 14, 2025 (BSS) – The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has set a target of producing 2,68,732 tonnes of winter wheat from 68,392 hectares of land for eight districts in two agricultural regions of Rangpur division in the current (2025-2026) Rabi season.  
            
The DAE officials said that farmers produced 1,98,968 tonnes of wheat from 51,616 hectares of land in the last (2024-2025) Rabi season in the Rangpur and Dinajpur agricultural regions of the division.
   
However, the fixed farming target of wheat marked a little shortfall due to crop diversification and cultivation of vegetables, maize and other high-valued crops on more lands in the division last season.
 
The set target for the current Rabi season includes production of 56,188 tonnes of wheat from 15,535 hectares of land in five districts of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari of Rangpur agricultural region.
 
Besides, the target includes production of 2,12.544 tonnes of wheat from 52,857 hectares of land in three districts of Dinajpur, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh of Dinajpur agricultural region.
 
“Farmers have already started preparing their croplands for sowing wheat seeds after harvesting Aman rice,” said Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md Sirajul Islam.
 
The process of sowing wheat seeds will get momentum with further progress in harvesting Aman rice crop in the division from next month. 
 
To make the wheat farming programme a success, the interim government through the DAE is distributing high quality wheat seeds, Di-ammonium Phosphate and Muriate of Potash fertilisers as special agriculture incentives among small and marginal farmers.
 
The DAE, Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) and other agriculture-related organisations have taken ample steps to make the intensive wheat farming programme a success this season.
 
“The authorities concerned have taken adequate measures to ensure supply of high quality wheat seeds, latest technologies, fertilisers and other inputs to farmers to promote cultivation of the cereal crop,” Agriculturist Islam added.
 
Farmers are mostly cultivating high yielding wheat varieties like 'Bijoy', 'Pradip', 'Sotabdi', BARI Gom25, BARI Gom26, BARI Gom27, BARI Gom28 and BARI Gom29 using conservation agriculture technologies to enhance production at reduced cost.
 
Talking to BSS, Md Mamunur Rashid, a PhD Fellow in the Department of Agricultural Extension at Dinajpur Haji Mohammad Danesh University of Science and Technology, said farmers are mostly farming wheat adopting latest technologies in recent years.
 
Adoption of the conservation agriculture (CA)-based strip tillage and bed planting methods in sowing wheat seeds using seeders machines largely increases wheat yield reducing need for irrigation compared to full tillage methods, largely saving labour costs. 
 
Formerly, wheat production was being affected due to adverse impacts of high temperature on its farming from flowering to ripening stages and late sowing of seeds after harvesting late varieties of Aman rice and use of low quality local seeds.
 
“However, farmers are sowing high quality, disease resistant and stress tolerant varieties of wheat seeds timely using the lowest cost CA-based technologies after harvesting short duration Aman rice to get excellent production in recent years,” Rashid said.
            
Mamunur Rashid, also an environmental expert, praised the interim government for encouraging farmers to cultivate high-yielding wheat varieties using the latest technology for improved production and greater profits.
  
Talking to BSS, farmers Lutfar Rahman, Akmal Hossain, Ariful Haque, Golzar Rahman and Mohsin Ali of different villages in Rangpur Sadar upazila said they are preparing to sow wheat seeds on their croplands after harvesting Aman rice.