BSS, Rajshahi :
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has set a target of producing 33.17 lakh tonnes of Boro paddy from 8.11 lakh hectares of land in eight districts of Rajshahi division in the current season.
To this end, the DAE has fixed the target of bringing 41,838 hectares of land under seedbed preparation activities, SM Mustafizur Rahman, Additional Director of DAE, told BSS .
The marginal farmers were provided necessary fertilizers like Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) and Murat of Potash (MoP) as incentives to facilitate smooth Boro paddy farming.
Agriculturist Rahman said steps have been taken to ensure smooth Boro rice cultivation this season. The farming is going on in full swing across the region as they are optimistic of harvesting the crop early, he added.
Meanwhile, the farmers have started transplantation of Boro paddy seedling to make the intensive farming programme of the major cereal crop successful in the current season.
“I have already cultivated Boro on two bighas of land this season”, said Lokman Hossain, a farmer in Mohadebpur upazila, adding, “I will bring some six bighas of land under the farming within a very short time.”
The DAE has distributed some 20 kg seeds of Boro rice, 20 kg DAP and 10 kg MoP fertilisers free of cost to each farmer.
President of Water Management Association of Paba Nurul Amin said, “The farmers of my area are now busy in Boro cultivation. I am cultivating Boro on six-bigha of land when I cultivated only three-bigha last year.
Abdullah Heel Kafi, Regional Agriculture Information Officer, says the DAE and other agriculture-related organisations, Power Development Board and Rural Electrification Board are ensuring smooth supply of seed, fertilizers and electricity to the farmers to ensure smooth Boro paddy cultivation.
Kafi expected that the farmers would largely adopt conservation agriculture technologies in farming Boro paddy to increase its output reducing lifting of underground water, saving electricity and improving environment.
He added that the farmers were imparted training on how to adopt conservation agriculture technologies like Alternate Drying and Wetting irrigation method at a larger scale while farming Boro paddy to save irrigation water for increasing Boro paddy output at reduced costs.
Bed-planting wheat faring acreage on the rise
Bed-planting wheat farming acreage has started boosting in this region, including its vast Barind tract, for the last couple of years as a result of much interest of farmers in the method.
In the current season, the wheat farmers are expecting a better yield like the previous year through adopting the bed plantation system.
Not only in wheat farming, farmers are seen adopting the method in some other seasonal crops like mugbean, maize, potato and lentil. Some of the farmers, scientists and researchers narrated the success story while talking to BSS here on Tuesday. They revealed that raised-bed planting of wheat is advantageous in areas where ground water level is receding and herbicide-resistant weeds are creating a problem.
Farmers, Anwar Hossain and Yousuf Ali, of Nandigram village under Durgapur Upazila of the district said that they got two bed- planter machines from Regional Wheat Research Center (RWRC) and cultivated wheat on around 250 bighas of land last year.
They harvested five to seven mounds more yield from per bigha of land than the conventional system. The donation inspired them to purchase two machines.
By which, they brought around 450 bighas under wheat farming in the current season.
Besides, they have become machinery service providers and are doing business and making money through sowing seeds on others lands.
Similarly, the landowners are also getting benefits from the system. The farmers, however, said they need subsidy to purchase adequate planters for large-scale expansion of the wheat and other crops farming in the region.
RWRC Principal Scientific Officer Dr Ilias Hossain said wheat was cultivated on around 0.16 million hectares of land in the region this year and 5,000 hectares of those were brought under the bed-plantation method.
He expected that the wheat farming in the modern system will be increased in next season. For planting wheat on beds, a tractor drawn bed planter is used. The bed planter is mounted at the back of a medium size tractor.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has set a target of producing 33.17 lakh tonnes of Boro paddy from 8.11 lakh hectares of land in eight districts of Rajshahi division in the current season.
To this end, the DAE has fixed the target of bringing 41,838 hectares of land under seedbed preparation activities, SM Mustafizur Rahman, Additional Director of DAE, told BSS .
The marginal farmers were provided necessary fertilizers like Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) and Murat of Potash (MoP) as incentives to facilitate smooth Boro paddy farming.
Agriculturist Rahman said steps have been taken to ensure smooth Boro rice cultivation this season. The farming is going on in full swing across the region as they are optimistic of harvesting the crop early, he added.
Meanwhile, the farmers have started transplantation of Boro paddy seedling to make the intensive farming programme of the major cereal crop successful in the current season.
“I have already cultivated Boro on two bighas of land this season”, said Lokman Hossain, a farmer in Mohadebpur upazila, adding, “I will bring some six bighas of land under the farming within a very short time.”
The DAE has distributed some 20 kg seeds of Boro rice, 20 kg DAP and 10 kg MoP fertilisers free of cost to each farmer.
President of Water Management Association of Paba Nurul Amin said, “The farmers of my area are now busy in Boro cultivation. I am cultivating Boro on six-bigha of land when I cultivated only three-bigha last year.
Abdullah Heel Kafi, Regional Agriculture Information Officer, says the DAE and other agriculture-related organisations, Power Development Board and Rural Electrification Board are ensuring smooth supply of seed, fertilizers and electricity to the farmers to ensure smooth Boro paddy cultivation.
Kafi expected that the farmers would largely adopt conservation agriculture technologies in farming Boro paddy to increase its output reducing lifting of underground water, saving electricity and improving environment.
He added that the farmers were imparted training on how to adopt conservation agriculture technologies like Alternate Drying and Wetting irrigation method at a larger scale while farming Boro paddy to save irrigation water for increasing Boro paddy output at reduced costs.
Bed-planting wheat faring acreage on the rise
Bed-planting wheat farming acreage has started boosting in this region, including its vast Barind tract, for the last couple of years as a result of much interest of farmers in the method.
In the current season, the wheat farmers are expecting a better yield like the previous year through adopting the bed plantation system.
Not only in wheat farming, farmers are seen adopting the method in some other seasonal crops like mugbean, maize, potato and lentil. Some of the farmers, scientists and researchers narrated the success story while talking to BSS here on Tuesday. They revealed that raised-bed planting of wheat is advantageous in areas where ground water level is receding and herbicide-resistant weeds are creating a problem.
Farmers, Anwar Hossain and Yousuf Ali, of Nandigram village under Durgapur Upazila of the district said that they got two bed- planter machines from Regional Wheat Research Center (RWRC) and cultivated wheat on around 250 bighas of land last year.
They harvested five to seven mounds more yield from per bigha of land than the conventional system. The donation inspired them to purchase two machines.
By which, they brought around 450 bighas under wheat farming in the current season.
Besides, they have become machinery service providers and are doing business and making money through sowing seeds on others lands.
Similarly, the landowners are also getting benefits from the system. The farmers, however, said they need subsidy to purchase adequate planters for large-scale expansion of the wheat and other crops farming in the region.
RWRC Principal Scientific Officer Dr Ilias Hossain said wheat was cultivated on around 0.16 million hectares of land in the region this year and 5,000 hectares of those were brought under the bed-plantation method.
He expected that the wheat farming in the modern system will be increased in next season. For planting wheat on beds, a tractor drawn bed planter is used. The bed planter is mounted at the back of a medium size tractor.
