BSS, Manikganj :
Sugarcane cultivators of the district are expecting bumper production during the current season as favourable weather is prevailing in the district.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said a total of 503 hectares of land have been brought under sugarcane cultivation during the current season.
Soil of Singair upazila is suitable for sugarcane cultivation. So most of the sugarcane was cultivated in Singair upazila of the district and those were not in undated by the seasonal water.
The DAE sources also said though there is no Sugar Mill in the district, but the farmers of the district specially the Singair upazila cultivate sugarcane as a cash crop.
Sugarcane of Singair has a great demand in and outside of the district as delicious drinks.
So now it has a great demand in the markets. Afsar Uddin of village Bahir khola, a sugarcane trader, said harvesting of the sugarcane has already been started and its juice remains in great demand.
“So, now we’re collecting sugarcane from fields to meet the immediate demand,” Ahmad Ali, another sugarcane cultivator said.
“Sugarcane has a great demand round the year. Now it’s for drinking and later it will be for making molasses,” he added.
Abu Mohammad Enayet ullah, Deputy Director of DAE, said the cultivation of sugarcane in the district is increasing day by day for its demand.
4,000 farmers getting incentive
The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) is distributing Black gram (Mashkolai) seeds and fertilizers as special incentives among 4,000 poor and marginal farmers in the district, DAE officials said.
The preparation of distribution of seeds and fertilizers has already been started among 4,000 farmers to cultivate Mashkolai in their lands in the district during the current season.
The DAE officials said each of the famers is getting 5 kgs of black gram seeds for one bigha of land as incentive. The marginal farmers are also getting necessary fertilizers, including 10-kg Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) and 5-kg Muriate of Potash (MoP) free of cost.
Abu Muhammad Enayetullah, Deputy Director of DAE, said the list of small and marginal farmers of the district is being prepared from union parishad level by a committee comprising with sub-assistant agriculture officer and the chairmen and members of the respective unions, adding that the seeds and fertilizers will be distributed according to those lists.
Deputy Director of DAE said the char areas of the two big rivers the Padma and Jamuna are popular for Mashkolai cultivation.
Deputy Director also said the present pro-farmer government is distributing special agriculture incentives among small and marginal farmers which is encouraging the farmers to cultivate crops in due time and they are getting good production as the government distributed quality seeds among the farmers.
