RANGPUR, Aug 04 (BSS): Director General of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) Md Shahjahan Kabir said the government is working relentlessly for the development of the country's agriculture sector.
"The BRRI scientists are always with the farmers for making commercial-basis farm activities, especially rice cultivation, more profitable by resolving any problem being faced by them," he said
Kabir said this while addressing the 'Harvesting of Aus rice, farmers' field-day and training on modern technologies of rice cultivation' programme held at village Balata under Sadar upazila in Gaibandha on Saturday as the chief guest, said a press release.
Principal Scientific Officer and Chief of Rangpur Regional Station of BRRI Agriculturist Dr Md Abu Bakar Siddique Sarker presided over the event jointly organised by Rangpur Regional Station of BRRI and Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
More than 200 male and female farmers, scientists of BRRI and officials of Gaibandha district and Sadar upazila offices of DAE, public representatives and elite were present.
Shahjahan Kabir suggested farmers to contact BRRI scientists for all information related to cultivation and production of rice, new seed, latest technologies, agronomical management methods and technical assistance.
On the occasion, the farmers harvested their cultivated BRRI-evolved BR 26, BRRI Dhan48 and BRRI Dhan65 varieties of Aus rice on their exhibition plots and got yield rates of 17, 15 and 14 maunds of Aus crop in terms of paddy respectively.
While expressing his experience about cultivation Aus rice, farmer Aynal Haque said that farming of the BRRI-evolved BR26, BRRI Dhan48 and BRRI Dhan65 Aus rice varieties needed less time, fertiliser and irrigation water.
"The farming cost of these rice varieties is low and profit is more. Rice of BRRI Dhan48 is tasty and fine in quality. Moreover, attack of blast and BLB diseases was very low," he said.
He expressed the hope that he would cultivate the rice varieties on more land next time.
Agriculturist Sarker, in his concluding remarks, highlighted different aspects of agronomical managements of cultivation to get more yield from these varieties of Aus rice.
He said, "Planting of seedlings aged between 20 and 25 days should be done maintaining recommended distance between second week of April and second week of May."
Besides, the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) has brought over 0.89 million hectares of croplands including 0.31 million hectares Irri-Boro fields under irrigation in almost 16 districts of Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions.
The huge croplands get the irrigation facilities through operating 15,517 power-driven deep tube wells (DTWs) and 417 low lift pumps in almost round the year.
Through this initiative, the BMDA, ever largest irrigation-providing state organisation in the country's northwest region, has realised around Tk 1.52 billion as irrigation charge during the last 2017-18 fiscal, up by Tk 22.7 million over the 2016-17 fiscal.
Engineer Abdur Rashid, Executive Director of BMDA, told the news agency that the irrigated lands have yielded more than 3.5 million tonnes including 2.67 million tonnes of additional crops especially food grain in the region especially the vast Barind tract yearly.
The region scored significant progress in the crop production sector following the expansion of irrigation facilities along with supplying water from the re-excavated canals and ponds.
Even around 30 to 35 years back, only a single crop could be produced in the areas depending on the rainfall. But, at present, at least three crops are being harvested by dint of the expanded irrigation facilities.
Around 57.57 per cent area of the total cultivable land of the region has, so far, been brought under the irrigation facilities.
Prior to the inception of BMDA the number of DTWs was only 500 in total irrigated area of about 5,000 hectares. At that time, the farmers had to depend on the mercy of rainwater for the cultivation.
Now, the number of DTWs has increased to 15,517 in the command areas irrigating 0.33 million hectares of crop lands round the year benefiting more than 0.54 million farming families.
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