BSS, Rangpur :
Enthusiastic farmers are expecting a bumperBoro rice production after exceeding the fixed farming target in Rangpur Agriculture Region during the current season.
Farmers and officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said tender Boro rice plants are growing marvelously creating a sight beholding greener look in crop fields amid favourable climatic conditions.
Getting necessary support from the government to make the intensive Boro rice farming programme a success, farmers have brought more land under its farming exceeding the fixed farming target despite crop diversification across the region.
Farmers are extremely busy in taking care of their excellently growing tender Boro rice plants in all five districts of the region.
The DAE has fixed a target of producing 22,07,132 tonnes of clean Boro rice (33,10,698 tonnes in terms of paddy) from 5,03,550 hectares of land for all five districts under Rangpur agriculture region during the current Rabi season.
“Farmers have finally brought 5,05,235 hectares of land under Boro rice framing exceeding the fixed farming target by 1,685 hectares of land or 0.33 percent,” Additional Director of the DAE’s Rangpur region Agriculturist Md. Tauhidul Ikbal told BSS on Sunday.
“If the climatic conditions remain favourable during the next couple of months, farmers will get a super bumper production of Boro rice as tender rice plants are currently growing superbly across the region,” Ikbal said.
The DAE and other agriculture-related organisations and institutions are working relentlessly to ensure smooth irrigation, supply of fuels,
fertilisers and electricity and other facilities to farmers to make the Boro rice farming programme successful.
To enhance Boro rice yield at lower costs reducing lifting of underground water, a target has been fixed to bring 1,00,770 hectares of Boro rice
croplands under the Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) irrigation method.
Besides, targets have been fixed to bring 50,385 hectares of land under use of compost fertilisers, 3,02,310 hectares under use of balanced fertilisers, 5,05,235 hectares under the perching and 10,240 hectares under the light trap methods of pests management.
Adopting the eco-friendly perching method, farmers have already set up bamboo poles or tree branches at regular intervals on 4,24,330 hectares of Boro rice fields so that birds can roost on those and eat harmful insects helping farmers combat pests’ attacks naturally.
“In light trap method, farmers have so far put pots filled with a mixture of water and detergent under a source of light on 2,410 hectares of Boro rice fields. Being attracted by the reflection of light at night, harmful insects fall into the pots and die,” Ikbal added.
Talking to BSS, farmers Azizul Islam and Ariful Haque of Najirdigar village in Rangpur sadar upazila said they have put maximum efforts to take care of their growing Boro rice plants on crop fields to get bumper production this season.
Farmer Mokhlesur Rahman of Badarganj upazila in Rangpur thanked the government for ensuring smooth supply of fertilisers, pesticides, diesel, power and other facilities to farmers to make the Boro rice farming programme successful.
“Tender Boro rice plants, now mostly in tillering, panicle initiation and booting stages, are growing superbly on crop fields predicting a bumper production of the crop,” Rahman added.
