BSS, Rangpur :
Harvesting of Aush rice continues in full swing with excellent output making the farmers happy in all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region this season.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said farmers will transplant Aman rice seedlings on the same land after completing harvest of the less irrigation water consuming and short duration Aush rice crop by mid-August next.
Earlier, the DAE had fixed a target of bringing 65,000 heaters of land under Aush rice cultivation to produce over 2,05,459 tonnes of clean rice (3,08,188 tonnes of paddy) for all five districts of the region this season.
“Farmers have finally brought 63,680 hectares of land under Aush rice cultivation, less by only 1,320 hectares against the fixed farming target,” said Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur Region Md. Emdad Hossain Sheikh.
However, recent floods damaged standing Aush rice crop on 2,175 hectares of land in the region.
Meanwhile, farmers have already harvested Aush rice on 28,328 hectares of land till Wednesday producing 94,007 tonnes of clean rice at an excellent average yield rate of 3.32 tonnes per hectare.
Aush rice farming and its production are increasing as a result of pragmatic steps taken by the government in last nine years in the region contributing to ensuring food security despite adverse impacts of climate change.
The steps include distribution of special intensives among small and marginal farmers, conducting motivational campaigns and providing technical supports to them.
“Farmers are showing more interest in Aush rice farming as an additional crop during the off-season after Boro rice harvest and before transplantation of Aman rice seedlings to enhance rice production,” Hossain said.
Earlier, farmers produced 1.94 lakh tonnes of clean Aush rice from 62,090 hectares of land in 2021 and 1.83 lakh tonnes of clean Aush rice from 59,092 hectares of land in 2020 in the region.
While they produced 1.48 lakh tonnes of clean Aush rice from 47,552 hectares of land in 2019, 1.23 lakh tonnes of clean Aush rice from 40, 618 hectares of land in 2018 and 73,543 tonnes of clean Aush rice from 24,717 hectares in 2017 in the region.
“Besides, farmers produced 65,505 tonnes of Aush rice from 21,751 hectares of land in 2016, 61,676 tonnes from 21,063 hectares of land in 2015, 59,685 tonnes from 19,205 hectares in 2014 and 51,722 tonnes from 17,523 hectares of land in 2013,” he added.
Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur Md. Obaidur Rahman Mandal said farmers will easily cultivate Aman rice on the same land after harvesting Aush rice by mid-August next to enhance rice production.
Talking to BSS, farmers Abdur Rahim, Shamsuddin Ahmed and Fazlul Haque of different villages in Rangpur expressed satisfaction over the present market prices of newly harvested Aush paddy between Taka 1,050 and 1,100 per mound (40 kg).
