RAJSHAHI, Nov 18 (BSS): The farmers are bustling with harvesting transplanted Aman paddy (T-aman) amid good yield everywhere in the region including its vast Barind tract besides making the peasants delighted.
Suitable climate conditions along with frequent rainfall during all the time of farming season unleashed the hope of getting desired production of T-aman paddy, people concerned said.
As the present time is appropriate for harvesting, farmers are now passing their busiest time with it aimed at completing it in due time to plant the next crop on the same land.
Particularly, the farmers are also very much pleased with the present lucrative market price for the latest harvested Aush and Boro paddy and rice in the entire region including its vast Barind tract.
The paddy harvesting activities created employment opportunities for many needy people.
Nazmul Hossain, 47, a farmer of Gohomabona village under Paba upazila, said he has got around six tonnes yield of Brri Dhan-75 variety per hectares of land this season.
Another farmer Jahangir Alam, 54, of Bhujail village under Nachole upazila has achieved yield from 5.5 to six tonnes of Brri Dhan-51 per hectare on an average.
Measures with initiative of both public and private sectors were taken to ensure supplementary irrigation to the paddy fields from the surface water resources if needed. Alam said farmers face a great water crisis in panicle initiation and pre-ripening stages of the farming that needs supplementary irrigation on an urgent basis due to rain-less condition almost every year.
But, fortunately, the farmers didn't face any adverse situation. Surface water resources were also enriched through excavating a canal to ensure supplementary irrigation to transplanted Aman paddy, over 40,000 hectares of land in high Barind tract, said Jahangir Alam Khan, coordinator of Integrated Water Resource Management project.
Meanwhile, Aman paddy transplantation has exceeded the target in Rajshahi division despite the adverse impacts of both the Covid-19 pandemic and the flood, creating scopes of producing additional yield of the food grain.
The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has set the target of producing around 2.219 million (22.19 lakh) tonnes of Aman rice from around 0.766 million (7.66 lakh) hectares of land in all eight districts under the division during the current season.
But, amazingly, the enthusiastic farmers have brought more than 0.777 million (7.77 lakh) hectares of land exceeding the target by 11,540 hectares braving the current pandemic and disastrous situations.
Sirajul Islam, additional director of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), said the farmers are happy after pulling in a good yield of transplanted Aman in the region.
He said the paddy farming has exceeded the target here significantly due to favourable weather along with frequent rainfall that contributed a lot towards successful completion of Aman seedlings transplantation on time.
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has released seven modern paddy varieties of the Aman paddy for the welfare of common farmers in the region particularly in its vast Barind tract, said Dr Fazlul Islam, principal scientific officer of BRRI.
The varieties are comparatively high yielding, drought tolerant and short duration than local variety 'Swarna' which is prone to various diseases and insects always affect the paddy.
Dr Islam said farmers have been encouraged to cultivate the latest varieties through various interventions including block demonstration, plots projection and supplying of seed free of cost.
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