Over 11.3 thousand tonnes of maize is expected to be produced as the maize farming target has exceeded in four districts of Khulna Agriculture region during the current Robi season.
In the 2023-24 fiscal year (FY), a target was fixed to cultivate maize on 1,270 hectares of land with production aim of 11,302 tonnes in Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira, and Narail.
But a total of 1, 326 hectares of land has come under cultivation during this robi season, said an official of DAE. Additional Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Khulna Zone, Mohon Kumar Ghosh said maize farming is gradually increasing in Khulna agricultural region as the livelihoods of farmers have improved in the last few years.
In the last financial year (2022-23), the DAE fixed a target of producing 10,992 tonnes of maize from 1,238 hectares of land in four districts of Khulna region.
Mohon Kumar said that diversified steps including the distribution of incentives among farmers with providing need-based training were taken to fulfill the production target this year.The small and marginal farmers were given seeds and fertilizers free of cost for maize farming. A target was set to produce 3,202 tonnes of maize from 390 hectares of land, meaning 7 hectares more land came under this cultivation in Khulna district.
In Bagerhat, the target of bringing 460 hectares of land under maize cultivation was fixed with the production target of 3,749 tonnes.
In Satkhira and Narail districts, 250 and 170 hectares of land respectively came under maize farming targets, meaning maize is cultivated on 273 and 177 hectares more land, the DAE official said. Rustum Ali (45), a farmer of Sutarkhali union of Dacope Upazila in Khulna district, said on Saturday, "last season, I cultivated maize on 1.5 hectares of land. My total expenditure was Taka 1.15 lakh. I got 318 maunds of corn from that land and sold Taka 2.70 lakh."
He said his net profit was around Taka 1.55 lakh. Keeping in mind the profit, he again planted corn this year.
Seeing him, many people in this area have turned to maize farming. He also expressed satisfaction over the present market price of maize which has huge demand in the animal husbandry, poultry farms and food industries sectors across the country.