The government has fixed a record target of producing over 22.07 lakh tonnes of clean Boro rice (3.10 lakh tonnes of paddy) from 5.03 lakh hectares of land for Rangpur agriculture during this Rabi season.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said farmers produced 21.56 lakh tonnes of clean Boro rice (32.34 tonnes of paddy) from five lakh hectares of land in all five districts of the region last season.
Earlier, the DAE had fixed a target of producing 21.54 lakh tonnes of clean Boro rice (32.31 lakh tonnes of paddy) from 4.96 lakh hectares of land for the region during the last Rabi season. This season, farmers will produce 11.36 lakh tonnes of hybrid variety Boro rice from 2.11 lakh hectares of land, 11.67 lakh tonnes of high yielding variety rice from 2.90 lakh hectares and 3,200 tonnes of local variety Boro rice from 1,760 hectares of land.
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Currently, farmers are busy with harvesting Aman rice and sowing seeds of Rabi crops like potato, maize, mustard and winter vegetables on their croplands alongside preparing Boro seedbeds of early varieties of Boro rice.
Farmers will start preparing Boro rice seedbeds in full swing from this month-end and begin transplantation of Boro rice seedlings on the low-lying areas from late-December to complete harvest of the crop before the next rainy season.
“Meanwhile, transplantation of Boro rice seedlings will begin on the mainland from mid-January and continue till February next,” Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md Tauhidul Iqbal told BSS on Sunday.
Enthusiastic farmers of all five districts of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat in Rangpur agriculture region are expected to engage their full efforts to make the intensive Boro rice programme a success.
The DAE, Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Barind Multipurpose Development Authority, Rural Electrification Board and commercial banks have taken steps to assist farmers in farming Boro rice successfully.
“The authorities concerned will ensure smooth supply of quality seeds of Boro rice, fertilisers and power to farmers for smooth cultivation of Boro rice,” Iqbal said.
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Field level officials of the DAE have already started extending assistance and latest technologies to farmers for successful Boro rice cultivation to enhance Boro rice production.
Talking to BSS, farmers Echhahaq Ali, Mokhlesur Rahman, Dulal Chandra and Solaiman Ali of different villages in Rangpur said they are expecting to bring more land under Boro rice cultivation this time.
Farmer Ariful Haque Batul of village Najirdigar in Rangpur Sadar said he is planning to bring four acres of land under Boro rice cultivation this time after getting a bumper production of the crop last year.
Agriculturist Dr. Md. Abdul Mazid, who got the Independence Award 2018 Medal (food security), suggested farmers to complete transplantation of Boro rice seedlings on their croplands within February 15 to get maximum yield rate.