DAE eyes bumper Aman yield in Bogura

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) are expecting a bumper production of short duration Aman paddy as farmers exceeded its set farming target in Bogura.

According to the DAE Bogura office, they have fixed a target of producing around 4, 95,683 tonnes of Aman

paddy from 1, 80,840 hectares of cropland this season.

If a kilogramme of paddy sells for Tk 40 at least, they are eyeing a harvest worth Tk 1,983 crore this season.

In 2020, the region produced 5,17,230 tonnes of Aman on 1,79,268 hectares of land and secured a harvest worth Tk 2,069 crore, according to the DAE sources.

DAE officials and farmers said the profuse flowering of the Aman saplings on seedbeds across the 12 upazilas such as Sadar, Sherpur, Nandigram,

Gabtoli and Shibganj, has kindled hope of good harvest.

The farmers have prepared seedbeds on 10,273 hectares of cropland and began planting Aman seeds from July 15.

They are expecting a yield of over 5 lakh tonnes from the four varieties of Aman – local, uphsi, boan and hybrid — which have been planted this season, they said.

“The flood-prone region is just by the side of the mighty Jamuna and gets underwater every year. However, this year the river has been kind to the region and rainfall was moderate.

Thus, farmers were able to cultivate their croplands properly,” said Sariakandi Upazila Agriculture Officer Abdul Halim.

Asalot Jaman, a water pump operator of Sariakandi upazila, told The Business Post that they are irrigating their lands from the nearby water bodies and rainwater stored in canals.

Visiting the area, the farmers were seen busy tending their crops, removing weeds, applying fertilizers and checking the water level.

According to the DAE’s office, they have run a campaign to support the farmers. Under which they trained 2,650 farmers, installed 481 exhibition plots and provided seeds and Farmers’ Card to 23,413 farmers of the district.

Sariakandi Upazila Deputy Assistant Agriculture Officer Kudrat Ali told The Business Post that they had a target of cultivating Aman on 12,550 hectares of land.

“We have been able to cultivate Aman on 8,730 hectares of cropland and expecting to exceed the target this year,” said the agriculturist.

Shamsul Haque, assistant zonal manager of Sariakandi Zonal Office under Bogura Palli Bidyut Samiti-2, told The Business Post that they had been supplying uninterrupted power supply to these areas so that the farmers can irrigate their land properly.

Bogura DAE Deputy Director Dulal Hossain told The Business Post, “We are expecting a bumper yield this year. If the favourable weather condition prevails, we are expecting to cross the target of 5,00,000 tonnes of Aman worth Tk 200 crores.”