An all-time record high output of maize is expected in Rangpur agriculture region, where harvest of the crop has just begun with excellent yield during the current Robi season.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said the farmers are expecting a record production of maize after exceeding the fixed farming target of the cash crop by 5.12 per cent this season.
Market insiders say the farmers are happy to sell their newly harvested maize at rates between Taka 1,050 and Taka 1,100 per mound (every 40-kg) with a hope of getting its higher market price with the progress of harvest this season.
The DAE had earlier fixed a target of producing 11,70,696 tonnes of maize from 1,08,065 hectares of land for all five districts of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat in the region this season.
“However, the farmers finally brought 1,13,600 hectares of land under its cultivation, exceeding the fixed farming target by 5,535 hectares of land or 5.12 per cent,” Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md Aftab Hossain said.
Till Saturday, farmers completed harvesting of maize on 7,772 hectares of land, 6.84 per cent of the total cultivated land area, producing 83,216 tonnes of the cereal crop in the region.
The average yield rate of maize currently stands at 10.71 tonnes per hectare of land in the region where the total production might be around 1.21-lakh tonnes after completion of harvest this season if the climatic conditions remain favourable.
“Continuously growing demand of maize in the poultry, dairy, animal husbandry and food industry sectors along with its repeated bumper production and lucrative market price is inspiring famers to further expand its cultivation,” Hossain said.
The government provided special incentives in terms of high yielding varieties of maize seeds and fertilizers and latest technologies to small, marginal and flood-hit farmers to enhance maize cultivation this season in the region.
Talking to BSS, farmers Farhad Hossain, Ahmmed Ali and Abul Kalam of different villages in Rangpur said they have just started harvesting maize and selling the produce at rates between Taka 1,000 and 1,100 per mound to reap excellent profits.
Shahinur Islam and his wife Fancy Begum of Char Purbo Mohipur of Gangachara upazila in Rangpur said they have cultivated maize with other crops like pumpkin, ‘Khira’, potato and green chilli on two acres of the dried-up beds of the river Teesta.
“We are expecting to get a bumper harvest of maize,” Shahinur told BSS and hoped that he is expecting to earn a huge profit after completing harvest of his cultivated maize this time.
Deputy Director of the DAE at its Rangpur regional office Agriculturist Md. Abdullah Al Mamun said maize cultivation is constantly expanding on both the mainland and riverine char areas in the region every year during the last 14 years.
“Repeated bumper production with lucrative market prices of maize is helping farmers to earn huge profits improving livelihoods and living standards in the region even during the global crises caused by the Russia-Ukraine War,” Mamun said.
Independence Medal-2018 (food security) winner Agriculturalist Dr Md Abdul Mazid put emphasis on expanding cultivation of low-irrigation water consuming crops like maize to save underground water and increase food output amid changing climate.
“Highly profitable maize farming brings lucrative profits to farmers following its rewarding market prices with increasing demand in the country’s animal husbandry, poultry and food industry sectors,” he added.
