Home ›› 05 Nov 2022 ›› Nation
Farmers have reached aman paddy cultivation target for the current season in the northern districts of Joypurhat and Dinajpur with harvesting already ongoing in some areas, according to government officials.
They expect a good yield this season if the weather remains favourable.
Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Joypurhat district sources said the target for aman paddy cultivation was 69,700 hectares of land in the district, and farmers achieved 99.76 per cent of that target.
Farmers have exceeded the target cultivation of 61,700 hectares of the high-yielding (UPC) variety by 35 hectares more.
The target for hybrid variety was 7,500 hectares, out of which 7,350 hectares have been achieved. The cultivation target for local varieties was 500 hectares, out of which 450 hectares were achieved.
This year, the production target of T-aman paddy in the district has been set at 1,93,570 tonnes.
The officials expect a bumper harvest in the district this season if the weather remains favourable.
Farmer Saidur Rahman, of Joypurhat Sadar upazila, said, “My hard work has finally borne fruit and soon I will begin harvesting. I expect a better harvest compared to previous years.”
Deputy Director of Joypurhat DAE Md Shafiqul Islam said harvesting and threshing of early varieties of paddy have already begun in several areas of the district. Harvest will continue throughout November.
Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) had provided seeds as incentives as well as advice from field officers to the farmers.
“Farmers ploughed the land in time and prepared their seedbeds. It hardly rained in the early monsoon, but the heavy rains in the late monsoon helped irrigate the lands,” he said.
The agricultural officials expect an overall good yield of aman paddy this season in the district.
In Dinajpur, this season’s early aman paddy harvest has begun.
According to the district Directorate General of Food (DGF), sources, aman paddy has been cultivated on 2,72,350 hectares of land against a target of 2,71,200 hectares this year.
Dinajpur DGF Deputy Director Md Nuruzzaman Miah said the bumper yield of aman paddy was possible this season due to favourable weather.
Harvest of early-yielding varieties began on October 31 and the farmers are happy with the yield this season.
The quality of the clean rice is also good since the DAE has provided the farmers with modern paddy harvest and threshing machines. Good quality rice is in high demand in the market.
Farmers lay out the harvested paddy in the fields to dry for five to seven days and later take them to be threshed and stored. The labourers take Tk 3,300-3,500 per 50 decimals of land for the whole process.
According to sources, the newly harvested aman paddy is being sold at Tk 1,800 per maund.
Farmer Amjat Hossain of Auliapur village in Dinajpur said he expects to make a good profit this season because of the bumper yield and the fair prices.
Dinajpur DAE Deputy Director Prodip Kumar Guha said so far about 10 per cent of aman paddy has been harvested in the district.
He further said a good quality of seeds, timely application of fertiliser, proper care and favourable weather conditions have led to a bumper yield this season. About 35-40 maunds of paddy are being harvested per 50 decimals of land in the district.
DAE sources said the bumper harvest in the previous season and this one, will allow for the rice to be exported to other districts after meeting local demands.
Sources at Dinajpur Agriculture Directorate said in the past half of the rice produced in the district met the food demand of the district. Due to the bumper production in the last Eri-Boro and the current Aman season, more than half of the rice produced will be able to meet the demand in other districts of the country.
