Jhenaidah Correspondent :
The farmers in all six upazilas have been leaning towards wheat farming when the main serial crop paddy was a losing concern for them.
They brought 10,320 hectares of land in the current season to produce 23,358 tones of wheat as against past season’s achievement of land for 8,265 hectares.
The Department of Agriculture Extension in Jhenaidah office sources said, 975 hectares of land was brought under the farming in Jhenaidah Sadar, 750 hectares in Kaliganj, 195 hectares in Kotchandpur, 2,150 hectares in Moheshpur, 3,798 hectares in Sailkupa and 1,000 hectares of land in Harinakundu upazila of the district in the current season. The production target was fixed 23,358 tones at the rate of 3.10 tones on each hectare of land.
Farmer Abul Hossain of Kamarkundu village under Jhenaidah Sadar upazila said, the wheat farming is almost a profitable cereal cash crop to the farmers as a farmer can receive Taka 14,000 from 18 to 19 maunds of wheat. He can earn Taka 9,000 to 9,500 a season on a hectare of land excluding all expenses for Taka around 5,500.
According to the farmer, the wheat farming costs Taka 5,000 to 5,500 for seeds, fertilizer, irrigation and day labourer purposes, while he receives Taka at least 14,000 from the plot for one bigha of land in a season.
The farmer said, they have been incurring heavy loss when they cultivate rice on the same land. A farmer can not avoid the net loss for at least Taka 2,000 on the land. A farmer receives Taka 9,000 for paddy production, while he has to spend Taka at least 10,500 to 11,000 for each bigha of land
Farmer Mahendra Biswas of village Ashurhat in Sailkupa upazila said, they face troubles when he can not recover the even the production cost of paddy as the demand for paddy in the market falls abnormally make them unhappy.
Upazila agriculture officer (UAO) of the department of agriculture extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah Sadar Khan Mohammad Maniruzzaman when contacted said, the farmers of the area are aware and conscious about their profit and loss.
As the wheat farming is more profitable, the farmers are usually leaning towards the wheat farming considering their financial profit from the cash crop, UAO said.
