Home ›› 10 Aug 2021 ›› Front
High profit and low-cost farming encourage farmers in the Rangpur region to go for maize cultivation, dealing a heavy blow to the once-thriving tobacco production in the area.
Farmers said maize cultivation requires less irrigation, low use of fertilizer and pesticide, lesser nursing, and the farming cost is lower than tobacco. They said these factors are encouraging others to grow maize instead of tobacco.
Cultivation of maize is now gradually replacing tobacco in Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamri, Gaibandha, and Kurigram, once known as the tobacco hub of Bangladesh.
Data from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) showed that farmers cultivated tobacco on 14,250 hectares in 2016-17 fiscal year in the five districts, which came down to 11,932 hectares in 2020-21.
According to DAE, the cultivation of maize rose to 1,26,415 hectares in FY2020-21, which was 94,898 hectares in FY2016-17.
There is no official record of tobacco cultivation on a single decimal of land in Kurigram in FY2020-21, and three other districts — Gaibandha, Nilphamari, Lalmanirhat— experience a downward trend of tobacco farming in the past four years.
Tobacco was cultivated on 60 hectares in Gaibandha in FY2017-2018. It was 40 hectares in FY2018-19, nine hectares in FY2019-20, and only two hectares in FY2020-21.
Kurigram farmers cultivated tobacco on 50 hectares in FY19-20, and no farming was recorded in the FY2017-18, FY18-19 and FY20-21, according to DAE.
The market demand for maize is rising as it is used in animal husbandry, poultry and food processing sectors. The growing demand has brought higher prices and benefits for the farmers.
Cultivators are eying a brighter prospect of maize farming for its high yield and lucrative profits, while the tobacco farmers are being discouraged by the government and anti-tobacco campaigners to achieve the vision of making the country tobacco-free by 2040.
Dr Md Alamgir Miah, Principal Scientific Officer at maize breeding division of the Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute, told The Business Post that they were training farmers and encouraging them to cultivate maize as it bears more profit than crops like tobacco and sunflower.
“Thousands of farmers in the Rangpur region are provided with some 28 varieties of seeds free of cost to encourage people to grow maize commercially,” he said.
Alamgir Miah said maize farming got popular in the Rangpur region in recent years as the crop earned farmers’ confidence. He said trained farmers could produce 12 tonnes of maize on one hectare on average using modern technology.
Bangladesh’s annual demand for maize stands at 65-70 lakh tonnes, he said.
Dr Hassanur Rahman, associate professor of the horticulture department at Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, told the Business Post that the overall maize cultivation was setting new records in the Rangpur region in recent years as farmers cultivated high yielding varieties on more land using the latest technologies.
Mamunur Rashid, Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh, said that farmers in the region were growing maize with the assistance of DAE and different NGOs using the latest technologies to get better production.
Md Abdur Razzaq Khan, a farmer in Nilphmari, told The Business Post that he cultivated maize on three bighas (90 decimal) and tobacco on one bigha. “The cost for maize cultivation on one bigha is around Tk 2,000, and the cost for cultivating tobacco on the same area of land is more than Tk 4,500. My earning from maize per bigha is Tk 22,000, but the amount is Tk 12,500 from tobacco,” he said.
Islam Uddin, a farmer from Nitanandi in Nilphamari Sadar Upazila, told The Business Post over phone, “There is a good demand for maize in the market as it is used as cattle fodder and poultry feed. Animal husbandry, poultry, and food industries are providing lucrative prices and benefits to farmers.”
Md Rashidul Islam Khan of Nagarmirganj in Jaldhaka of Nilphmari said he had cultivated maize on five bighas. He used to grow tobacco on the plot.
Miraz Uddin of Betgari in Gangachara of Rangpur said that his family left tobacco cultivation four years ago and started cultivating other crops, including maize.
Md Zahirul Islam of Charbari in Chilmari of Kurigram said they left tobacco cultivation as it offers marginal profit and switched to substitute crops for better yield.
Atiqul Islam of Balapara in Hatibanda of Lalmonirhat said he halved the land used for tobacco cultivation to 70 decimals in 2017. Instead, he is now growing maize finding it more profitable.
Manik Roy of Matherhat in Gaibandha Sadar Upazila said that he had been growing tobacco on 75 decimals for the past six years. But this year, he switched to maize like Atiqul.
DAE’s Rangpur Regional Office Deputy Director Md Mahbubur Rahman told The Business Post that farmers were now leaning towards maize cultivation influenced by different campaigns, training sessions, and assistance to earn more profit.
“The government is providing the farmers special incentives. High yielding varieties of maize seeds and fertilizers are also being distributed to landless, small, marginal and flood-hit farmers to boost maize cultivation,” he said.
According to DAE data, farmers in five directs under Rangpur agricultural region cultivated paddy on 11,79,125 hectares in FY2020-21. Out of the farming lands, Aman was cultivated on 6,12,435 hectares, Boro on 5,03,000 hectares and Aush on 63,690 hectares.
DAE has fixed a target of 6,12,451 hectares for Aman farming in the Rangpur region for FY22, according to officials of DAE Rangpur.
