The officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah have been encouraging local farmers to reduce the farming of Boro paddy and encouraging them to bring more land under Aus paddy farming which is more profitable for them, said office sources of the Deputy Director of Jhenaidah DAE.
Farmer Aulad Ali of Sadhuhati Dhrmatala under Jhenaidah Sadar upazila when contacted, said he had prepared seed beds on 10 decimals of land which could cover two acres of land to produce Aus paddy in the season. He is expecting about 20 maunds of paddy from each bigha, Aulad Ali said.
Other farmers in the area said Boro farming requires huge irrigation water which costs at least Taka 5,000 in a season, while Aus paddy requires Tk 2,000 to 2,500 for the same amount of land plot.
DAE Jhenaidah office sources said the farmers of Jhenaidah Sadar, Kaliganj, Kotchandpur, Moheshpur, Shailkupa and Harinakundu are going to produce 54,860 tones of Aus on 22,860 hectares in the season. 2.4 tones of rice are expected to be produced on each hectare, they said.
Deputy Director (DD) of the DAE in Jheniadah Asgar Ali when contacted said when the climate was under threat due to disfavourable climate when the trend for using underground water for irrigation and such practices became risk. Reduce the use of underground water and using of surphace water is one of the means for the nature. Further, it can save irrigation cost and help the farmers to strengthen their socio-economic state.
DAE district boss said 3,500 to 5,000 litres of underground water is required for one kilogram (kg) Boro farming, while the water for Aus requires 1,500 to 1,800 litres which is over 50 percent least. As huge chemical fertilizer is required for Boro farming, it increases the demand for more fertilizer there.
Further, use of underground water has a residual effect on the environment. Farming of Aus is least cost, while environment-friendly, Asgar Ali said.
The government had sanctioned incentives for 8,400 Aus farmers who had received five kg. Aus seeds, 20 kg. Dye Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) and 10 kg. Muriate of Potash (MoP) for one bigha of Aus plot each. Here the farmers have been showing better response in Aus farming.