BSS, Rajshahi :
By dint of its gradually increasing demand and lucrative market price, scores of growers have become happy over the maize farming both in rabi and kharip seasons in Rajshahi region, especially Barind tract and Chalan Beel areas.
Farmers are switching to maize cultivation in increasing numbers because of better prices of the cereal and high demand by feed and flour mills.
The shift in cultivation from other crops such as wheat and rice has raised maize output, reducing the country’s dependence on import. Stakeholders linked the shift in farming with higher prices of maize than that of rice and
other crops.
Future growth in cultivation, however, will largely depend on the market price and health of the poultry industry.
The farmers got fair prices of maize during the last couple of years inspiring them to cultivate more maize as its farming risk-free. There are brighter prospects for increasing maize production and the government has put due emphasis on the issue.
The region is viable for huge maize cultivation which can play a vital role in transforming traditional agriculture into commercial one because of its multiple use and economic benefit.
Lower cultivation cost of the crop than rice is another reason that attracted farmers to maize, a key ingredient of poultry and other feeds.
“A rise in temperature affects the production of wheat in winter. But maize can tolerate high temperature,” said Dr Isral Hossain, Chief Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI).
So, a section of farmers prefers growing maize to wheat and winter crops as there is a demand for maize at the feed mills, he said.
Maize contains huge Vitamin-A and its multi-dimensional use including production of corn oil with no cholesterol from maize can helps heart patients in many ways through consuming its oil.
Dr Israil Hossain said the farmers both the small and marginal cultivate the cash crop in more lands including the vast Barind tract and char areas in the region. Availability of quality seeds, ncluding hybrid varieties, huge demand of the commodity in the country and maximum profits have encouraged them towards the farming remarkably.
To mitigate the water-stress condition in Barind Tract, step has been adopted to make the farmers habituated in farming maize through CA-based and raised-bed methods with intervention of SRFSI and CIMMYT since 2010.
Principles of conservation agriculture are use of reduced tillage, retention of some amounts of residues on the field, sustainable and profitable crop diversification and its rotation and judicious use of natural resources.
Raised beds facilitate sowing without waste of time allowing crop growth to better match water availability, said Dr Israil Hossain.
