The enthusiastic farmers have engaged their full efforts in transplanting T-Aman seedlings everywhere in eight districts under Rajshahi division amid favourable climate and frequent rains, official sources said.
“The prevailing weather remains favourable and helps the farmers complete transplantation of T-Aman seedlings this season timely,” Additional Director (In-charge) of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Abul Kalam Azad told BSS yesterday.
Sources in the DAE said plantation of T-Aman seedlings have so far been completed on more than 95 percent of the targeted land and the rest will be complete by the first week of the next month. The frequent moderate to heavy rainfalls have made the farmers busy in transplanting the seedlings everywhere and the concerned government departments including the DAE are providing all necessary assistances to the farmers.
“Though there is adequate rainwater, the Barind Multipurpose Development Authorities (BMDA) is ready to provide supplementary irrigation if required,” DAE officials said. In addition, the farmers are keeping thousands of their shallow tube wells ready for supplementary irrigation if any drought situation begins during the transplantation and farming period of the major cereal crop in the region, they said.
According to the DAE sources, the government has fixed a target of bringing 7,40,036 hectares land under the T-aman cultivation during this season. The farmers have already prepared seedbeds on more lands than the fixed target of preparing seedbeds in the region this time.
Till yesterday, the farmers have transplanted T-Aman seedlings on 7,20,200 hectares in all the eight districts and the process continued in full swing everywhere.
Farmers Shariful Islam, Nur Muhammad and many others today told BSS that they are not facing any problem in plantation of T-Aman seedlings as the frequent seasonal rainfall is helping them a lot.
BSS from Panchagarh adds : Consecutive rain for the last few days created favourable condition for boosting the transplanted Aman production here.
Drought like situation that continued for more than a month caused drying up of the T-Aman plants particularly in the semi-highlands. Now the plants gained new life and are growing as expected fast. The farmers are now engaged in weeding the Aman farmland and spreading fertilizer.
While contacted Sunil Kumer, a grower of Subuspara village under Debiganj upazila said he cultivated Aman in five bigha of land in semi-highland that was dried up during the drought like situation. But the plants are now turning green coloured and growing fast.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Panchagarh office, a total of 81,000 hectares of land is brought under Aman cultivation in all five upazilas of the district with the production target of 3,22,000 tonnes of rice.
Deputy Director of DAE Md Najrul Islam told BSS that prospect of T-Aman is now very bright thanks to rain for the last few days.
He also said the department has supplied high quality seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and other agriculture inputs at free of cost among the farmers. Besides, Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank, Janata bank and other commercial banks, local NGO of Panchagarh are distributing short-term loan to farmers of the district for cultivation of Aman paddy.
