Bogura farmers busy planting Aman paddy in monsoon

Farmers of Bogura have started Aman paddy cultivation by taking advantage of the monsoon rain to irrigate their farmlands.

Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Bogura sources said the area under Aman paddy cultivation has increased by about 2,110 hectares in the district this year.

If the weather remains favourable, about 5.5 lakh tonnes of rice are expected to be harvested.

Farmers of all 12 upazilas of the district are busy in the fields planting Aman paddy saplings.

Last month, the water level of the Jamuna river rose, causing floods in parts of the district that lasted for about a week. Farmers started preparing the seedbeds after the water receded.

However, the high lands need to be irrigated and the monsoon rain has facilitated that, according to the farmers.

According to the DAE, Bogura is one of the major agricultural areas among the northern districts. The district’s major contributions to agriculture are paddy, jute, vegetables, chillies, maize, potatoes, and mustard.

Aman paddy was cultivated on 1,80,840 hectares of land in the district in 2021, with a target of 4,95,683 tonnes of yield. In 2020, about 5,17,230 tonnes of crops were harvested from 1,79,268 hectares of land in the district.

DAE officials said the harvest target is set at 5,51,813 tonnes of crops cultivated from about 1,82,950 hectares of land.

According to DAE official sources, farmers could not plant any other crops earlier due to floods. Many farmers decided to cultivate Aman paddy after the water receded. Hence the cultivation area expanded especially in Shariakandi, Dhunot, and Sonatala upazilas.

The farmers of the char areas of Bogura started sowing seeds from the beginning of the Bengali Srabon month (July 16). Farmers of several areas of Bogura Sadar upazila, including Matidali, Subgram, Shyambaria, Second Bypass Road, and Baropur Phulbari, are also busy with Aman cultivation.

Farmer Abdul Based of Kahalu upazila said he has recently finished sowing Aman paddy seeds in his farmland using rainwater for irrigation.

“I spent about Tk 6,000 on cultivation. Like last year, I expect a bumper yield this year too,” he said.

Additional Deputy Director of Bogura DAE Enamul Haque said the target of Aman cultivation had been set at 1,82,950 hectares of land in the district this season. If the weather remains favourable, they expect a bumper yield.

“Many varieties of paddy have been planted including, various high-yielding varieties like BRRI Dhan 87, BRRI Dhan 75, and BINA-Dhan-17. The average yield of the varieties is 15-16 maunds per bigha,” he said.

The official also said this time the production target of clean rice has been set at 5,51,000 tonnes. So far, farmers have planted Aman paddy on 40 per cent of the targeted land in the district.

Md Dulal Hossain, deputy director of DAE Bogura, said Aman paddy cultivation is in full swing in the area this season. They expect the harvest will exceed the target this year too.

“Farmers are taking advantage of the monsoon rain to irrigate their croplands. We will have a bumper yield if the weather remains favourable,” he said.