Farmers have completed the transplantation of boro paddy everywhere in eight districts under Rajshahi division attaining 99 percent of the target fixed by the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) till March 15 last.
According to the sources concerned, the DAE had fixed up a target to bring 8,38,992 hectares of land. However, the farmers have transplanted seedlings on 8,34,746 hectares of land, deficit by 4,242 hectares.
Additional Director of DAE, Rajshahi, Nurul Amin told BSS that a number of factors like favourable climatic condition, adequate supply of necessary inputs like irrigation, mixed fertilizers and pesticides have contributed to reach close the target.
Besides, he said favorable weather and easy availability of agricultural inputs including fertilizers has inspired the cultivators to make all-out Boro cultivation in this region.
He said 15,958 deep tube wells, 3,45,360 shallow tube wells and 9,704 low lift pumps are now being operated for providing irrigation to the paddy fields besides various other conventional methods.
Nurul Amin said the farmers of the region are now very busy in nursing their paddy field. They are expecting bumper production of rice in the current session if weather remains favorable.
The government has taken adequate steps all over the region through the DAE and other related department and organisations to make the programme successful.
To this end, coordinated efforts have been taken by all concerned departments and organisations in popularizing the latest agriculture technologies among the farmers to make the Boro farming programme successful. Atar Ali, a farmer of Bagdhani under Paba upazila of the district, said that he has cultivated paddy on 30 bigha of land this season and there is no significant problem of irrigation.
“We have sent letter to the Ministry of Agriculture for uninterrupted power supply to our 12,500 deep tubewells during the off-pick hours from 9pm to 7 am,” said Engineer Ahsan Zakir, Executive Director of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA).
