More than 4.03 lakh tonnes of wheat are expected to be produced from around 1.33 lakh hectares of land during the current season in all eight districts of the division.
Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has set the target of producing 3.56 lakh tonnes of wheat from 95,210 hectares of land in four districts of Rajshahi Agricultural Zone, while 47,735 tonnes from 37,570 hectares in four districts of Bogura Agricultural Zone. The DAE has been disbursing seeds and fertilizers free of cost among 67,000 small and marginal farmers for wheat farming under the government's agricultural incentive programme in the division so that they can boost wheat production.
Rafiqul Islam, a marginalized farmer of Fulbari village under Godagari Upazila, said he is very happy after getting the incentives in proper time.
“I have sown wheat seed on one bigha of land timely after getting the seed and fertilizer incentives,” Islam said, adding that the time prior to 5th December is considered as appropriate period for sowing wheat seed.
Various other government and non-government entities have adopted diversified steps to make farming a total success in the region as it's suitable for the crop for its water-saving and drought tolerant features.
Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA), an ever-largest irrigation providing state-run organization in the country's northwest region, has full preparation to promote the water-saving crop in the region to mitigate its water-stressed condition.
BMDA under its 'Quality Seed Production, Distribution & Farmers' Training Project for crop production Project' has, so far, supplied 44 tonnes of wheat seeds among the farmers, said ATM Rafiqul Islam, director of the project. More than 12.58 lakh people of 2.66 lakh households are being motivated and encouraged towards promoting water-saving crops like wheat with intervention of the ‘Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)’ project.
DASCOH Foundation has been implementing the project in around 1,280 drought-hit villages under 39 Union Parishads and three municipalities of eight upazilas in Rajshahi, Naogaon and Chapainawabganj districts since 2014, said Jahangir Alam Khan, Coordinator of IWRM project.
He, however, said successful promotion of less-water consuming crops in the Barind area would play a vital role in lessening the gradually mounting pressure on its underground water.
Rajshahi Regional Office of Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute (BWMRI) will develop 455 demonstration plots on farmers' fields.
Prior to this, 455 farmers will be given 4.5 tonnes of breeder seeds of some high yielding, heat and drought tolerant and blast disease resistant varieties like Barigom 28, 29, 30 and 33 along with recommended fertilizers for the projection plots free of cost.
The farmers including 100 field-level DAE officials will be imparted training on how to produce wheat properly using the modern seeds and technologies. Dr Ilias Hossain, Principal Scientific Officer of BWMRI, told BSS that the Barigom 33 is the latest variety which is blast disease resistant, zinc- enriched, large grain size and high yielding.
He said many of the farmers have already completed their seed-sowing activities as the period from November 15 to December 5 is the optimum for seed sowing. Dr Hossain, however, said the farmers who will sow wheat seed after harvesting the late varieties of transplanted aman paddy can avail the scopes of sowing some late varieties of wheat like Barigom 28, 30 and 32 until December 10 for comparatively better yield.