An all-time record target of producing over 32.96-lakh tonnes of clean Boro rice (49.44-lakh tonnes of paddy) has been fixed from 7.74-lakh hectares of land in Rangpur division during this Rabi season, reports BSS.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said adequate steps are being taken to make the intensive Boro rice farming program a success.
Last season, the DAE had fixed a production target of 31.90-lakh tonnes of clean Boro rice from 7.70-lakh hectares of land when farmers exceeded the target and achieved a super bumper production of the crop.
Currently, farmers are busy with harvesting Aman rice and sowing seed of Rabi crops like potato, maize, mustard and winter vegetables on their lands. They will start preparing Boro seedbed from at the end of this month. Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office here Agriculturist Md. Moniruzzaman said transplantation of Boro rice seedling will begin on low- lying and char areas from late-December to complete harvest before the rainy season.
“However, transplantation process of Boro rice seedling will begin on the mainland from mid-January and continue till February next in all eight districts of Rangpur and Dinajpur agriculture regions in Rangpur division,” he said.
Under the program, the DAE has fixed a target of producing over 21.76-lakh tonnes of clean Boro rice from 5.03-lakh hectares of land in five districts of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat of Rangpur agriculture region.
Besides, over 11.19-lakh tonnes of clean Boro rice will be produced from over 2.17-lakh hectares of land in three districts of Dinajpur, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh of Dinajpur agriculture region this season.
“The farmers will produce 11.28-lakh tonnes of hybrid variety Boro rice from 2.39-lakh hectares of land, 21.64-lakh tonnes of high yielding variety rice from 5.33-lakh hectares and 3,408 tonnes of local variety Boro rice from 1,800 hectares of land,” he said.
The DAE and other organisations concerned are taking necessary steps to ensure smooth supply of seed, fertilisers and uninterrupted electricity to make the Boro farming program successful,” Moniruzzaman added.
Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Muhammad Ali said field level officials of the DAE will lend assistance and latest technologies to farmers for successful Boro rice cultivation.
Besides, farmers will adopt conservation agriculture-based technologies like Alternate Drying and Wetting (AWD) irrigation method while farming Boro rice to use less irrigation water to reduce pressure on underground water and farming costs.
“Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation, Power Development Board and Rural Electrification Board will ensure smooth supply of seed, fertilisers and power to the farmers to ensure smooth cultivation of Boro rice,” Ali added.
Talking to BSS, farmers Ariful Haque Batul, Aiyub Ali, Mahbubur Rahman, Mofizar Rahman and Moazzem Hossain of different villages in Rangpur expressed their preparedness to bring more land under Boro rice cultivation this season.
Noted rice scientist Agriculturist Dr. Md. Abdul Mazid, who got the Independence Award 2018 Medal (food security), last year, suggested farmers to complete Boro rice seedling transplantation within February 15 to get the maximum yield.
He stressed large-scale adoption of conservation agriculture-based technologies like AWD irrigation method in farming Boro rice to increase rice output improving the ecology and environment.
