Rajshahi maize farmers happy with high yield, fair price

Farmers are busy harvesting, segregating, drying and transporting the cereal crop amid the suitable climatic condition in the Rajshahi, including its vast Barind and Char (riverbed) areas, for the last couple of weeks.

Maize farming brings a smile to farmers' faces in Rajshahi as they are becoming financially solvent by cultivating the crop, meeting its growing demand of the consumers, particularly the poultry, dairy and beef fattening farmers.

Farmers are delighted with the bumper yield and cherished market price of the newly harvested maize everywhere in the Rajshahi region.

Polash Hossain, 45, a maize farmer of Harishankar Pur village under Godagari upazila, has cultivated maize on two bighas of land this year expecting that he will be benefited from the crop as both yield and market price are lucrative.

Hossain said maize grain is being sold at Tk 725 to 730 per maund in the local market at present.

Sarwar Sheikh, 48, another farmer of Char Asariadaha village under the same upazila, said many of his co-villagers are seen harvesting 45 to 50 maunds of yield from each bigha of char lands on average.

Shahadat Hossain, a farmer of Chowbaria village under Godagari upazila, said he had brought two bighas of land under maize farming during the current season.

He is very happy with cultivating various less-water-consuming crops like maize. He said he had to face many troubles to manage water for irrigation on Boro fields but the maize cultivation takes less water.

Hossain said wheat cultivation per bigha of land needs at least Tk 8,000 and the yield is 14 to 16 maunds. On the contrary, maize farming on one bigha of land needs Tk 6,500 and the yield is at least 20 to 25 maunds. So, he cultivated maize on 15 bighas of land this season.

Most of the farmers are happy with the sale price, he added.