BSS, Rangpur :
An excellent production of maize is likely as its harvest is nearing completion with a pleasant yield rate during the current Kharif-1 season in the Rangpur agriculture region.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and market sources said farmers are happy getting excellent prices between Taka 1,050 and Tk 1,150 per mound (every 40 kgs) of their newly harvested maize.
Earlier, the DAE had fixed a target of producing 2,21,708 tonnes of maize from 24,600 hectares of land for Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat districts during this Kharif-1 season in the region.
“Farmers finally cultivated maize on 20,879 hectares of land, less by 3,721 hectares of land against the fixed farming target during this Kharif-1season,” Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Md. Emdad Hossain Sheikh told BSS Thursday.
Tender maize plants grew superbly amid favourable climatic conditions predicting a better production of the less irrigation water consuming cereal crop during this Kharif-1 season across the region.
Till Wednesday, farmers have harvested maize on 19,617 hectares of land, 93.96 per cent against the cultivated land area, and produced 1,81,202 tonnes of the crop at an average yield rate of 9.24 tonnes per hectare of land.
To further enhance maize cultivation during this Kharif-1 season, the government provided special incentives, high-yielding varieties of seeds and fertilizers to landless, small, marginal and flood-hit farmers of the region.
“We are expecting an excellent production of maize despite a little shortfall in achieving the farming target following crop diversification during this Kharif-1 season in the region,” Hossain said.
Talking to BSS, Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur Md. Obaidur Rahman Mandal said maize cultivation has become popular among farmers of the mainland and riverine char areas during the last 13 years.
Maize farming is more profitable than many other crops and helps farmers, small and marginal farmers, landless char and riverside people in cutting poverty to improve their livelihoods and living standard.
Tens of hundreds of char and riverside people have cultivated maize on vasttracts of char lands in the Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dharla, Jamuna, Kartoa, Ghagot, Jamuneswari and other riverine areas in the region.
“Getting incentives and necessary assistance from the DAE and few NGOs,farmers have been showing more interest in maize cultivation using the latest agricultural technologies to get better output and lucrative market prices every year,” Mandal said.
Talking to BSS, farmers Tofazzal Hossain, Ahsan Habib, Zulfiquer Ali, Golam Mohammad and Anwar Hossain of different villages in Rangpur said they have got excellent maize output with an excellent yield rate during this Kharif-season. They expressed happiness over the present market price of maize which has huge demand in the boosting animal husbandry, poultry and pisciculture andfood industries sectors.
