Farmers in different areas of Katiadi upazila in Kishoreganj are smiling with satisfaction at the bumper yield of Aus paddy. Due to better yield than the target, interest in Aus cultivation is increasing among the farmers.
Farmers of this upazila have got good yield by cultivating improved variety (Bri paddy-48) aush paddy.
According to the Upazila Agriculture Office, the target is to plant Aus paddy in 3,500 hectares of land in Katiadi municipality, Jalalpur, Lohajuri, Achmita, Masua and Banagram Unions this season, but this year 3,850 hectares of land has been planted in Aus season.
Farmers cultivate Bri paddy 48, new variety Bri paddy 72, Bri paddy 75. Among these varieties, the farmers of the region have received a great response for the cultivation of Bri Paddy-48. Ordinary farmers are smiling because of the good yield.
According to the farmers, for a long time the farmers of this upazila used to plant local varieties of seeds in Aus season. As the yield of this variety of aush paddy is very low, the farmers are reluctant to cultivate Aus paddy day by day.
However, in the current season, the farmers are concentrating on the cultivation of Aush on the advice of the Upazila Agriculture Office. Meanwhile, the Upazila Agriculture office hopes that farmers will be encouraged to cultivate Aus in the future due to bumper yields.
Jiban Bhuiyan, a farmer from the Jalalpur village, said, "We have got better yield by planting auhs paddy at a lower cost than that of boro paddy, which we did not expect." Another farmer, BorhanUddin, said, "We planted aush on the advice of the agriculture office."
This time the farmer said that he got good yield at low costs. 'Upazila Agriculture Officer Mukshedu lHaque said, ‘Farmers of this upazila used to cultivate local aush paddy in the past. This year we have held an exchange of views with the farmers and suggested planting new high yielding Bri Paddy-48 and providing seed, fertilizer and irrigation assistance.
Farmers have got bumper yield by cultivating that variety of paddy on our advice. Seeing their yield and comparatively low cost, other farmers in the area are showing interest in getting seeds in advance. We hope to plant more paddy next year than this year.'