Rangpur Aman seedling transplantation near completion

The farmers of the region so far completed the transplantation of Aman rice seedlings on 99.79 per cent of the targeted land as the process is nearly completed.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said the farmers have transplanted Aman rice seedlings on 6,14,377 hectares of land against the targeted land area of 6,15,685 hectares for cultivation of the crop till Monday.

The tender plants of the crop are growing superbly now following recent rainfalls making farmers happy after the recent drought-like situation in the region.

“As transplantation of seedlings of late varieties of Aman rice continues, we are expecting to achieve the fixed farming target of the crop this time,” Additional Director of DAE for Rangpur region Md. Emdad Hossain Sheikh said.

The government has fixed a target of producing 18,07,916 tonnes of clean Aman rice (27,11,874 tonnes of paddy) from 6,15,685 hectares of land for all five districts of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Rangpur in the region this season.

The government has taken special measures to ensure the use of high-quality seeds, smooth supply of fertilisers and fuels, prepare model seedbeds, balanced fertilisation and adoption of improved technologies to enhance rice production this season.

Additional steps have also been taken like the preparation of late varieties of Aman rice seedbeds on highlands and floating seedbeds in low-lying areas so that there was no crisis of seedlings for floods.

“Considering the possibility of seasonal floods, we had also taken special measures to prepare more seedbeds so that the farming process of Aman rice was not affected under any circumstances amid adverse impacts of climate change,” he said.