RAJSHAHI, May 16, 2023 (BSS) - Agricultural extension officials and experts
urged the farmers to promote synchronized cultivation technology to make the
farming system more profitable and sustainable through boosting its outputs.
 
They mentioned that large-scale adoption of the synchronized cultivation
technology including its combined paddy harvester machine can be an effective
means of facing the existing agriculture related challenges.
 
The agriculturists came up with the observation while addressing a farmers'
field day meeting on the occasion of crop cutting at Laldighi area under
Godagari upazila in the district today.
 
The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) organized the meeting in order
to disseminate knowledge relating to various aspects of farm mechanization
among the farmers.
 
DAE Director General Badal Chandra Biswas addressed the meeting as the chief
guest, while Additional Director Shamsul Wadud and Deputy Director Mozder
Hossain spoke as special guests with Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sonjoy Kumar
Mohanta in the chair.

Upazila Agriculture Officer Mariam Ahmed welcomed the participants.
 
Badal Chandra Biswas observed that the region's agriculture is facing many
challenges including climate change, labour shortage, irrigation water
scarcity and increase of crop cultivation cost. So, promotion of farm
mechanization has become indispensable.
 
He told the meeting that cropping intensity can be increased to 250 percent
even 400 percent from the existing 200 percent through reducing the existing
time gap between the two crops through the best uses of the farm
mechanization.
 
Badal Biswas said average benefits from the farm mechanization have been
estimated at 34 percent labor saving, 31 percent less seed required, six
percent fertilizers saving, 32 percent pesticide cost saving leading to 10
percent lower production cost for many crops.
 
He urged the farmers to use rice transplanting machines as it is built on
water-saving technology.
 
He added that the technology saves about 755 kWh per hectare per year for the
existing rice farming system. Portraying a salient feature of the machine
before the participants he said it's cost effective.