BSS, Rajshahi :
Farmers and field level agricultural extension and research officials are now very much hopeful about the upcoming wheat yield in the region including its vast Barind tract.
Talking to BSS here many of them mentioned that the prevailing suitableclimatic condition has made them inspired and hopeful about wheat yield.
“We are very much optimistic that we are going to get a bumper wheat yield in the upcoming harvesting season,” Yeasin Ali, a farmer of Naohata village under Paba Upazila, said while talking to BSS.
He said the present weather coupled with topographic condition is supportive for the cash crop. Taking advantages of the natural privileges the farmers brought more lands under cultivation of the cereal crop as well as staple food.
In the wheat-growing areas the farmers are now busy in nursing and caringthe farming fields.
Golam Mostofa, 48, a farmer of Panchandar village under Tanore Upazila,is now happy over witnessing the wheat growing field. He attributed that timely sowing of seeds accompanied by the cold spell, has been considered asa positive sign for attaining a bumper production of the cash crop.
Dr Ilias Hossain, principal scientific officer of Regional Wheat andMaize Research Center, said the farmers brought more lands under wheat farming in the region this year.
The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has set a target of producing around 4,39,485 metric tonnes of wheat from around 1,33,753 hectares of land in all eight districts under Rajshahi division. Whereas, the farmers have cultivated wheat on 1,37,308 hectares of land creating scope of yielding more than 4,51,166 metric tons this season.
“We have adequate preparations and all the field level officials and staff concerned are working relentlessly to make the wheat farming a total success,” said SM Mustafizur Rahman, additional director of DAE, while talking to BSS here on Thursday.
He said farmers of the Barind area were found more confident in wheatfarming on more new lands, due to the water-stress condition, as wheat is a less-water consuming plant.
Wheat Research Center has so far released 24 wheat varieties and someother time-fitting technologies for commercial cultivation.
Dr Ilias Hossain said the recently released six varieties including prodip, bijoy, shatabdi and BARIGAM-26 are more tolerant to leaf blight and leaf rush-disease with additional advantage of higher yield, Dr Ilias added.
Nurul Amin, retired additional director of DAE, said wide-range promotion of the newly innovated variety could help increase wheat yield.
Wheat plays an important role in ensuring food security as its consumption is increasing day by day. But, Bangladesh produces hardly 10 lakh metric tonnes of wheat against the demand of around 40 lakh tonnes annually,he stated.
Agriculturist Amin, however, said that Rajshahi division contributes 35 percent of the total area and 44 percent of the total production. Not only that, there are around 50,000 hectares of more rain fed land in the high Barind area and there has been a bright prospect of bringing the huge land under wheat cultivation.
ATM Rafiqul Islam, project director (agriculture) of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority, said a substantial and sustainable expansion of wheat farming can mitigate the existing water-stress condition in the high Barind tract as wheat is an environment-friendly crop.
Large scale wheat production is very important for ensuring foodsecurity as it is the second most important cereal in the country after rice and plays a vital role in the national food security, he added.
Agriculturist Rafique viewed time has come to enhance acreage of wheatfarming instead of only depending on Irri-Boro rice in the dried area toensure food security amid the adverse impact of climate change.
Apart from this, he said that seven to eight bighas of wheat could becultivated with the irrigated water of only one bigha of Boro rice through soil moisture utilization and best use of modern technologies.
More support from international research organizations including CIMMYThas become necessary for germ-plasm especially heat-tolerant variety adoption together with yield gap minimization in the farmers field.
Farmers and field level agricultural extension and research officials are now very much hopeful about the upcoming wheat yield in the region including its vast Barind tract.
Talking to BSS here many of them mentioned that the prevailing suitableclimatic condition has made them inspired and hopeful about wheat yield.
“We are very much optimistic that we are going to get a bumper wheat yield in the upcoming harvesting season,” Yeasin Ali, a farmer of Naohata village under Paba Upazila, said while talking to BSS.
He said the present weather coupled with topographic condition is supportive for the cash crop. Taking advantages of the natural privileges the farmers brought more lands under cultivation of the cereal crop as well as staple food.
In the wheat-growing areas the farmers are now busy in nursing and caringthe farming fields.
Golam Mostofa, 48, a farmer of Panchandar village under Tanore Upazila,is now happy over witnessing the wheat growing field. He attributed that timely sowing of seeds accompanied by the cold spell, has been considered asa positive sign for attaining a bumper production of the cash crop.
Dr Ilias Hossain, principal scientific officer of Regional Wheat andMaize Research Center, said the farmers brought more lands under wheat farming in the region this year.
The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has set a target of producing around 4,39,485 metric tonnes of wheat from around 1,33,753 hectares of land in all eight districts under Rajshahi division. Whereas, the farmers have cultivated wheat on 1,37,308 hectares of land creating scope of yielding more than 4,51,166 metric tons this season.
“We have adequate preparations and all the field level officials and staff concerned are working relentlessly to make the wheat farming a total success,” said SM Mustafizur Rahman, additional director of DAE, while talking to BSS here on Thursday.
He said farmers of the Barind area were found more confident in wheatfarming on more new lands, due to the water-stress condition, as wheat is a less-water consuming plant.
Wheat Research Center has so far released 24 wheat varieties and someother time-fitting technologies for commercial cultivation.
Dr Ilias Hossain said the recently released six varieties including prodip, bijoy, shatabdi and BARIGAM-26 are more tolerant to leaf blight and leaf rush-disease with additional advantage of higher yield, Dr Ilias added.
Nurul Amin, retired additional director of DAE, said wide-range promotion of the newly innovated variety could help increase wheat yield.
Wheat plays an important role in ensuring food security as its consumption is increasing day by day. But, Bangladesh produces hardly 10 lakh metric tonnes of wheat against the demand of around 40 lakh tonnes annually,he stated.
Agriculturist Amin, however, said that Rajshahi division contributes 35 percent of the total area and 44 percent of the total production. Not only that, there are around 50,000 hectares of more rain fed land in the high Barind area and there has been a bright prospect of bringing the huge land under wheat cultivation.
ATM Rafiqul Islam, project director (agriculture) of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority, said a substantial and sustainable expansion of wheat farming can mitigate the existing water-stress condition in the high Barind tract as wheat is an environment-friendly crop.
Large scale wheat production is very important for ensuring foodsecurity as it is the second most important cereal in the country after rice and plays a vital role in the national food security, he added.
Agriculturist Rafique viewed time has come to enhance acreage of wheatfarming instead of only depending on Irri-Boro rice in the dried area toensure food security amid the adverse impact of climate change.
Apart from this, he said that seven to eight bighas of wheat could becultivated with the irrigated water of only one bigha of Boro rice through soil moisture utilization and best use of modern technologies.
More support from international research organizations including CIMMYThas become necessary for germ-plasm especially heat-tolerant variety adoption together with yield gap minimization in the farmers field.
