BINA-17 yield delights Naogaon farmers

A good number of farmers in several areas of Naogaon district have seen a bummer production of the BINA-17 paddy variety. They have already started harvesting the crop.

The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) sources said BINA-17 had been grown in 1,030 hectares of land in the district this year.

The farmers started cultivating BINA-17 following the advice of the DAE and assistance from Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture’s (BINA) Chapainawabganj office.

BINA-17 is less vulnerable to root rot and pest attack. Plants remain strong after storms and thundershowers.

The farmers are able to take this advanced variety of paddy home at the interval of 110-115 days.

After harvesting, the farmers got a maximum yield of 30 maunds per bigha. They are highly inspired as the yield is high.

Around 30 maunds of yield can be achieved from a bigha (33 decimals) of land while it is 20 maunds for the local Boro varieties, said DAE sources.

Many also call it green super rice due to its low irrigation and water requirement. It has 200-250 grains in each sheaf and is very profitable.

Farmer Ibrahim Khalil of Shalbari village under Niamatpur upazila said he had grown the paddy in four bighas of land and had achieved a bumper production of 130 maunds.

Abdul Hamid, a farmer from Ismailpur village in Badalgachhi upazila, said, “I got advice from the agriculture office about the benefits of this variety. I cultivated it in four bighas of land with seed assistance of the agriculture office.”

Visiting the fields of Niamatpur, it was seen that the farmers were busy harvesting the paddy.

The production of the variety is at least 33 per cent more than that of other varieties of Aman, and the production cost is around one-third lower.

A relatively thin paddy, the variety is harvested one month earlier than other varieties of Aman, allowing the cultivation of different winter crops.

Deputy Director of Naogaon DAE office Shamsul Wadud said farmers of the district had started cultivating BINA-17 on a large scale after it had proved profitable.

As the life span of this variety is about 30-40 days less than Aman, the farmers can take this paddy home quickly, he added.