BSS, Rangpur :
A super bumper yield of 20.90-lakh tones of clean Boro rice has been achieved exceeding the fixed production target by over 2,000 tonnes during the just ended Rabi season in Rangpur agriculture region.
Officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said farmers have achieved record Boro rice production despite seasonal hailstorms and nor’westers damaged standing crop on 10,152 hectares of land.
They said cultivation of hybrid varieties of Boro rice varieties on more land, expanded use of latest agriculture technologies, proper fertilization and agronomical managements resulted to the super bumper Boro rice production.
Horticulture Specialist of the DAE at its regional office Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam said the government had fixed a target of producing 20.70-lakh tonnes of clean Boro rice from 4.99-lakh hectares of land for the region during the last Rabi season.
“The farmers brought over 5.19-lakh hectares of land under its cultivation exceeding the fixed farming by bringing 19,695 hectares of land in all five districts under the region,” Islam said.
However, the seasonal nor’westers and hailstorms in last April and May damaged standing Boro crop on 10,152 hectares of land causing a crop loss of over 40,000 tonnes of clean Boro rice.
“The farmers finally completed harvest of Boro crop on over 5.08-lakh hectares of land after the damages and produced the record quantity of 20.90-
lakh tonnes of clean Boro rice to further strengthen the country’s food security,” Islam said.
Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Md Moniruzzaman said the fixed Boro crop farming target included production of 6.69-lakh tones hybrid Boro rice from 1.40-lakh hectares of land, 13.97-lakh tonnes high yielding variety rice from 3.56-lakh hectares and 3,590 tonnes local variety
Boro rice from 1,850 hectares of land.
The farmers had finally cultivated Boro crop on 5.19-lakh hectares of land, including hybrid variety on 1.82-lakh hectares of land, high yielding variety on 3.33-lakh hectares and local variety on 2,638 hectares of land this time.
“The farmers cultivated hybrid variety Boro rice on 1.40-lakh hectares of land, higher by 42,000 hectares than the fixed target, to get super bumper yield even after damages caused to the standing crop on 10,152 hectares of land,” he said.
The average achieved yield rate stood at 4.11 tonnes of clean Boro rice per hectare with 4.67 tonnes for hybrid variety, 3.82 tonnes for high yielding variety and 2.18 tonnes clean Boro rice per hectare for the local variety Boro rice.
Talking to BSS today, rice scientist Dr Md Abdul Mazid, who got Independence Award 2018 Medal (food security) this year, said timely preparation of Boro rice seedbed and early transplantation of seedling by
February 15 contributed to bumper Boro rice yield.
“Adoption of latest conservation agriculture technologies, smooth supply of electricity, fuel, fertilisers and irrigation water, no pests’ attacks and favourable climatic conditions helped farmers a lot in getting super bumper Boro rice yield,” he said.
“The dry, clean and sunny weather amid frequent rainfalls accelerated photosynthesis process ensuring healthier growth of Boro rice plants largely
contributing to bumper rice yield,” said Dr Mazid, also former Chief Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute.
