Kurigram Correspondent :
The farmers of Kurigram district are expecting a bumper production of wheat during the current season due to favorable climatic condition.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said that they set a target for cultivating wheat on 6900 hectares of land with a production target of 7300 metric tons. The production is also in an average 3.55 metric ton in per hectare of land. The cultivation target in upazila wise break up as follows: Some 380 hectares of land at Kurigram Sadar upazila, 905 hectares at Ulipur,350 hectares at Chilmari,1010 hectares at Roumari,1200 hectares at Rajibpur,1815 hectares at Bhurungamari,800 hectares at Nageswari,330 hectares at Fulbari and 110 hectares of land at Rajarhat upazila.
The farmers of all the nine upazilas in the districts have been cultivated wheat as it has a great demand in the markets round the year. Talking to Babul 57, Rabiul 45 and Dulal 60 of village Madaikhal under Kaliganj union of Nageswari upazila told The New Nation that the condition of wheat farming is good since its farming started in the area due to suitable weather and fertile land this season.
The supplies of all agricultural inputs were completed in time. Wheat is one of the less-irrigation consuming crops and it has a great demand in the markets round the year. The harvesting of wheat is going to be started in all nine upazilas of the district soon, the DAE sources said.
BSS from Rajshahi reports: Farmers are eyeing good wheat yield because all the farming fields are in excellent condition amid suitable climatic conditions everywhere in the region, including its vast Barind tract, during the upcoming harvesting season.
Currently, most of the farming fields are in the ripening stage and the growers are expected to start harvesting within the end of this month in full swing.
However, some of the farmers have started harvesting the cash crop in limited scale amid satisfactory yield.
Darul Hossain, 47, of Bhatapara village under Godagari Upazila, has cultivated wheat on four and half bighas of land and he’s happy over his present farming condition. “We have used less-irrigation for wheat farming compared to Boro paddy farming,” he said.
Anwar Hossain, 54, another farmer of Durgapur area, said the condition of wheat farming is good since its farming started in the area due to suitable weather and fertile land this season. He is expecting 12 to 15 mounds of yield from per bigha of land.
Hossain said wheat farming has enhanced this year compared to the previous years as production of the cash crop is less than any other crops.
Another farmer Moinul Haque has attained good yield last year and he’s hopeful about expected output this season expressing his thanks to nature. He said there will be no problem in harvesting the food grain crop if suitable climatic conditions prevails until the harvesting is completed.
Haque clarified that some natural disasters like Norwester, hailstorm and thunderbolt are the major threat to the crop.
“We are witnessing outstanding and eye-catching wheat fields everywhere in the region by dint of suitable climatic conditions from the initial stage of the farming,” said Sharmin Sultana, Upazila Agriculture Officer in Godagari.
She mentioned that farmers’ interests towards wheat farming have been enhanced to a greater extent in the region due to various reasons for the last couple of years. Wheat is one of less-irrigation consuming crops.
Many government and non-government organizations are encouraging farmers towards wheat cultivation in the water-stressed Barind area in order to lessen the gradually mounting pressure on its groundwater level. More than 12.58 lakh community people of 2.66 lakh households are being motivated towards promoting wheat like water-saving crops with intervention of the ‘Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)’ project.
The project is being implemented by DASCOH Foundation in around 1,280 drought-hit villages under 39 Union Parishads and three municipalities of eight upazilas in Rajshahi, Naogaon and Chapainawabganj districts since 2015 supported by Switzerland, said Jahangir Alam Khan, Coordinator of IWRM Project.
He, however, said successful promotion of less-water consuming crops in the Barind area would play a vital role to lessen the gradually mounting pressure on its underground water.
Rajshahi Regional Office of Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute (BWMRI) has developed 320 demonstration plots on farmers’ fields.
Dr Ilias Hossain, Principal Scientific Officer of BWMRI, told BSS that they are promoting some high yielding, heat and drought tolerant and blast disease resistant varieties like Barigom 28, 29, 30 and 33 among the farmers.
He added that the Barigom 33 is the latest variety which is blast disease resistant, zinc-enriched, large grain size and high yielding (20 maunds per bigha).
Meanwhile, more than 4.03 lakh tonnes of wheat are expected to be produced from around 1.33 lakh hectares of land during the current season in all eight districts of the division.
BSS from Joypurhat adds: The farmers of the district are expecting a bumper production of wheat during the current season amid suitable climatic conditions everywhere in the district.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said that they set a target for cultivating wheat on 2,350 hectares of land with a production target of 7,400 metric tons of wheat. But wheat was cultivated on 2,386 hectares of land in the district exceeding its fixed target.
According to DAE sources, farmers are showing more interest in crop production as the present agri-friendly government has undertaken extensive programs for the development of agriculture department.
So the farmers of the district are showing interest to cultivate this food grain in all upazilas of the district as it has a great demand in the markets round the year.
Md Shafiqul Islam, Deputy Director of DAE said the wheat cultivation is increasing day by day as the soil in Joypurhat is sandy and suitable for wheat cultivation.
He also said that the condition of wheat farming is good since its farming started in the area due to suitable weather and the supply of all agricultural inputs were completed in due time.
