Govt procures over 80 tonnes Aman rice in Rajshahi division

The government has, so far, procured around 80,151.88 tonnes of Aman rice during the current procurement drive contributing a lot towards ensuring food security.

As part of the nationwide on going Aman rice procurement drive, the government has procured the food grain from all eight districts in Rajshahi division.

Faruque Hossain Patwary, Regional Controller of Food, said they procured around 80,151.88 tonnes of boiled rice at the rate of Tk 40 per kilogram till Tuesday last.

He said the procurement drive of the newly harvested rice is going on in full-swing everywhere in the division that created a high hope of ensuring food security.

Faruque Patwary said the government has set a target of procuring 1,06,173 tonnes of boiled rice during the current drive. He said they will procure 2,904 tonnes of rice from the growers directly.

Contracts have been signed with 3,951 millers for collecting 1,31,389.49 tonnes of boiled rice.

They also procured 3,201.72 tonnes of paddy till the same day. Target has been set to procure 43,404 tonnes of paddy at Tk 27 per kilogram, he added.

Meanwhile, harvesting of the transplanted Aman paddy is on the final stage everywhere in the division at present.

Farmers are also happy after getting satisfactory yield of the newly harvested Aman paddy which has also generated scopes of ensuring food security.

DAE officials said suitable climate conditions along with frequent rainfall during the farming season unleashed the hope of getting desired production of T-Aman paddy.

Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has set a target of producing more than 20.49 lakh metric tons of transplanted Aman rice from 7.74 lakh hectares of land in the division this season.

DAE Additional Director Sirajul Islam said 34,400 farmers were given incentives of seed and fertilizers worth around Taka 2.54 crore for the paddy farming in the division during the current season.

Nazmul Hossain, 47, a farmer of Gohomabona village under Paba upazila, said he has got around six tonnes yield of BRRI Dhan-75 variety per hectare of land this season.

Another farmer Jahangir Alam, 54, of Bhujail village under Nachole upazila has achieved yield from 5.5 to six tonnes of BRRI Dhan-51 per hectare on an average.

Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has released seven modern paddy varieties of the Aman paddy for the welfare of common farmers in the region particularly in its vast Barind tract, said Dr Fazlul Islam, principal scientific officer of BRRI.

The varieties are comparatively high yielding, drought tolerant and shorter in duration than the local variety ‘Swarna’ which is prone to various diseases and insects that always affect the paddy.

Dr Islam said farmers have been encouraged to cultivate the latest varieties through various interventions including block demonstration, plots projection and supplying of seed free of cost.