Around 34.30 lakh tonnes of irri-boro pady are expected to be produced from 8.08 lakh hectares of land in all eight districts under Rajshahi division during the current season.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has set the rice production target and adopted all possible measures to ensure food security through attaining the target everywhere in the region including its vast barind tract.
The DAE has set target of producing 31.57 lakh tonnes of high yielding varieties of rice from 7.51 lakh hectares of land, 2.65 lakh tonnes of hybrid varieties from 52,910 hectares of land and 7,729 tonnes of local varieties from 3,840 hectares of land.
Meanwhile, the grassroots farmers are passing their days with nursing and caring the seedbeds of the paddy braving the winter chill and fog at present. Abul Kashem, a farmer of Mayamari village under Niamatpur Upazila, said he has prepared seedbeds on 25 decimals of land for cultivating paddy on 18- bigha of land this season.
He is now very much hopeful of starting the transplantation of seedlings within the next 12 to 15 days. Kashem has adopted some preventive measures to protect the seedbeds from any cold related diseases.
Mahbubur Rahman, another farmer of Chanpara village, said he is anxious over the sweeping cold weather. He along with many of his fellow farmers is passing busy days to protect the seedbeds from cold injuries.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Muhammad Waheduzzaman said prolonged cold coupled with dense fog is injurious to the seed health. The adverse climatic condition is also a little-bit detrimental to the seedbeds, but there is no apprehension of any major damage to it.
Shamsul Haque, Deputy Director of DAE, said all the upazila and field level officials and others concerned are giving suggestions to the farmers to protect their seedbeds from cold injury through covering their seedbeds with polythene in night. Regional office of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has taken diversified steps including farmers training, projection plot and supplying of the newly developed high yielding varieties among the growers to make the irri-boro farming a total success.
BRRI has developed 14 Boro varieties of paddy which are appropriate for Rajshahi region including its vast Barind tract, said Dr Aminul Islam, Chief Scientific Officer of BRRI.
The varieties are Brridhan28, 29, 50, 58, 63, 69, 81, 84, 86, 88, 89, 92, Brri hybrid dhan3 and Brri hybrid dhan5. Of those, Brridhan50 is export-oriented premium quality rice, Brridhan58 is comparatively high yielding and Brridhan84 is iron and zinc-enriched.
Dr Islam said the field level agriculture related officials, researchers and scientists are reaching the developed varieties to the farmers’ doorsteps so that they can boost the boro paddy yield after the best uses of the varieties.
The conventional varieties are being replaced by modern varieties which are good signs for the region in terms of boosting yield. He mentioned that the agriculture as well as rice research and extension are directly linked to the goal-2.
End Hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture among the total 17 sustainable development goals. Dr Aminul Islam said there is no way but to enhance the rice production through facing the existing challenges of adverse impact of climate change side by side with gradually declining of resources and agriculture manpower.
