Nilphamari Correspondent :
Farmers are happy with bumper production of Aush paddy. Aush paddy is being planted immediately after wheat and Boro plantation after potato. Currently, the Domar potato foundation seed production farm is filled with golden grains of Aush paddy. Aush paddy is grown on 240 acres of Doma Base Seed Potato Production Farm (BADC) at Nilphamari. It is expected that Aush paddy seeds will be collected in a bumper crop this time.
On Wednesday, BADC sources said, that the work of harvesting and threshing of Aush paddy started two weeks ago.
Earlier, after the farm raised potatoes on those lands, the fields would allow for a few months. This would reduce the fertility of the soil. Dhincha was planted to increase the fertility of the soil. When the plants are 3/4 feet tall, they are tilled and rotted in the ground. When decomposed, it acts as organic fertilizer in the soil. After that Aush paddy was planted in that land with little cultivation. Most of the farm lands were sandy soils and remained fallow for several months after potato production.
The authorities combined those fallow lands with loam-ash soil and cultivated aush paddy on 150 acres of land last year. This time, three varieties of Aush rice have been cultivated on 240 acres of land. The varieties are Bri-Dhan 48, 98 and Binadhan-21. Rice produced from these varieties will be marketed as quality foundation seed.
Assistant Director of Domar BADC farm Subrata Majumder said that most of the farm lands were sandy soil and were left fallow after potato production. The authorities rehabilitated the fallow lands with loam-ash soil and cultivated Aush paddy on 150 acres of land last year. This time, three varieties of Aush rice have been cultivated on 240 acres of land. The varieties are Bri-Dhan 48, 98 and Bina-Dhan-21. Rice produced from these varieties will be marketed as quality foundation seed.
Doma foundation Seed Potato Production Farm Deputy Director Agriculturist Abu Taleb Mia Aush took the initiative for paddy cultivation. Since then, the cultivation of Aush rice has gradually increased every year.
Aush paddy has been cultivated in more than 90 acres of land compared to last year. Aush paddy is planted in May. It takes 115 days from planting date to harvesting. Due to frequent electricity load-shedding and rise in fuel oil prices, irrigation with shallow machines has increased the cost of paddy production.
Abu Taleb Mia, deputy director of BADC Farm, expects a better yield than last year as the weather is favorable.
