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Wheat farming exceeds target in Rangpur region


Bangladeshpost
Published : 25 Dec 2020 09:34 PM | Updated : 27 Dec 2020 11:35 AM

Farmers have exceeded the fixed farming target of wheat in Rangpur agriculture region where its tender plants are growing superbly now predicting a bumper production of the crop during this Rabi season, reports BSS.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said farmers are showing more interest in farming wheat getting assistance and incentives from the government to enhance production of the less irrigation water consuming cereal crop this season.

“The DAE has fixed a target of producing 69,630 tonnes of wheat from 19,550 hectares of land for all five districts in the region this season,” said Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Agriculturist Md. Moniruzzaman.

However, enthusiastic farmers have already brought 19,710 hectares of land under wheat cultivation till Thursday exceeding the fixed farming target by 0.82 percent in the region where sowing of seeds still continues.

“Wheat farming has become popular as farmers achieved its repeated bumper production with lucrative market prices in recent years and exceeded the fixed cultivation target this season in the region,” he said. The DAE, Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) and different agriculture related organisations have taken ample steps to make the wheat farming programme a success. 

“Adequate quantity of quality wheat seeds, latest technologies, training, fertilisers and other inputs have been provided to farmers to achieve the fixed production target of wheat in the region,” Moniruzzaman said.

The farmers have mostly cultivated high yielding wheat varieties like ‘Bijoy’, ‘Pradip’, ‘Sotabdi’, BARI Gom25, BARI Gom26, BARI Gom27, BARI Gom28 and BARI Gom29 using conservation agriculture (CA)-based technologies to enhance production.

Talking to BSS, Agriculturist Dr. Md. Abdul Mazid, who got the Independence Medal 2018 (food security), expressed satisfaction over expanded wheat cultivation by farmers this season in Rangpur region.

“Farmers are getting bumper wheat production in recent years following expanded cultivation of high yielding, stress-tolerant and high temperature- tolerant wheat varieties adopting the latest CA- based technologies,” he said.

Adoption of the CA-based strip tillage and bed planting methods in sowing wheat seeds using seeder machines substantially increases wheat yield reducing soil erosion, necessity for irrigation compared to the full tillage along with saving fuel and labour costs.

In the past, wheat production was being affected due to adverse impacts of high temperature on its farming from flowering to ripening stages for late sowing of seeds after harvesting late variety Aman rice, use of low quality local seeds and other reasons.

“However, farmers are sowing high quality, disease resistant and stress tolerant variety wheat seeds timely using the latest, mechanised and low cost CA-based technologies after harvesting the short duration Aman rice to get bumper production,” Dr Mazid said.

Talking to BSS, farmers Ariful Haque, Manik Mian, Echhahaq Ali and Mokhlesur Rahman of different villages here said they are expecting excellent wheat production as the tender plants growing fabulously on their crop lands this season.