Fair price makes Rangpur maize farmers happy

Bumper output with an all-time record high market price of maize has made farmers happy now both in the mainland and riverine char areas across the Rangpur agriculture region.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and market sources said farmers are currently selling newly harvested maize to traders and wholesalers at rates between Tk 1,200 and Tk 1,260 per maund (every 40-kg).

Farmers are expecting a bumper production of maize as its harvesting is nearing completion after exceeding the fixed farming target by 2.09 per cent during the 2022 Rabi season.

The DAE had fixed a target of producing 11,33,325 tonnes of maize from 1,04,045 hectares of land for all five districts of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat in the region this season.

“Farmers brought 1,06,217 hectares of land under maize cultivation, exceeding the fixed farming target by 2,172 hectares of land,” Additional Director of DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md Emdad Hossain Sheikh said.

Till Saturday, farmers completed harvesting maize on 83,725 hectares of land, 78.73 per cent of the total cultivated land area, producing 9,10,260 tonnes of the cereal crop in the region. The average yield rate of maize currently stands at 10.87 tons per hectare of land in the region where the total production of the crop might be around 11,54,580 tonnes after the completion of harvest this season.

“The growing demand of maize in the flourishing poultry, dairy and animal husbandry sectors and food industry sectors along with repeated bumper production and the lucrative market price is inspiring farmers to further expand its cultivation,” Hossain said.

The government provided special incentives, high yielding varieties of maize seeds and fertilisers and the latest technologies to small, marginal and flood-hit farmers to enhance maize cultivation this season.

Farmers Abdul Momin, Rezaul Islam, Moyen Uddin and Manik Miah of different villages in Rangpur Sadar upazila said they were selling newly harvested maize at better rates of Tk 1,200-1,250 per maund to reap all-time high profits.

“During the previous season, farmers sold maize at the rates of Tk 800-850 per maund in local markets,” said farmer Ariful Haque of village Najirdigar in Rangpur Sadar upazila. “Repeated bumper output with lucrative market price of maize every year is helping farmers to earn huge profits improving their livelihoods and living standard by cutting poverty during the last 13 years,” Rashid added.

Agriculturalist Dr Md Abdul Mazid, who was awarded the Independence Medal-2018 (food security), stressed expanding the cultivation of the low-irrigation water-consuming maize crop also to save huge underground water amid changing climate. There is a huge prospect to further increase maize production by bringing the vast tracts of abandoned char lands of the northern region under its farming to ensure food security amid changing climate.

“Cultivation of maize is highly profitable and brings lucrative profits to farmers following its increasing demand in the animal husbandry, poultry and food industry sectors across the country,” he added.