RANGPUR, Nov 10 (BSS): Harvest of Transplanted Aman (T-Aman) rice is getting momentum with excellent yield rate, predicting bumper production of the crop in Rangpur agriculture region this season.
Officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said farmers have cultivated T-Aman rice on 0.60 million hectares of land exceeding the fixed farming target on 0.59 million hectares by 9,292 hectares of land or 1.64 per cent this season in the region.
"The farmers have already harvested T-Aman rice on 65,000 hectares of land to produce 0.19 million tonnes of clean rice (0.29 million tonnes paddy) by Friday," said Horticulture Specialist of the DAE at its regional office Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam.
The farmers are expecting a bumper production of T-Aman rice this time in the region as they have achieved an excellent yield rate of 2.99 tonnes of clean Aman rice per hectare on an average so far.
The DAE has fixed a target of producing 1.63 million tonnes of clean T-Aman rice (2.45 million tonnes of paddy) from 0.59 million hectares of land with a targeted yield rate of 2.76 tonnes of clean rice per hectare on an average of this season in the region.
"However, we are expecting a bumper production of T-Aman rice this season as farmers are getting excellent yield rate of 2.99 tonnes of rice per hectare of the crop now at this initial stage of the harvesting process", Mr Islam said.
Talking to the news agency, farmers Abdul Baten, Milan Mian, Ariful Haque, Manik Mian and Golam Mostafa of Najirdigar and Kathihara villages under Sadar upazila here said that they got excellent yield rate of their just harvested T-Aman rice varieties last week.
Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Md Moniruzzaman said farmers are hopeful to achieve a bumper production of T-Aman rice as its harvest continues in full swing amid favourable climatic condition with excellent yield rate.
"After completing harvest of the short duration Aman rice varieties, farmers have already started sowing seed of early variety potato, winter vegetables and other Rabi crops on the same lane in the region," he added.
Meanwhile, harvest of T-Aman rice as well as cultivation of subsequent Rabi crops of the same land have created jobs for tens of hundreds of farm-labourer, including females, in all five districts under Rangpur agriculture region now.
Farm-labourer Yakub Ali, Matiar Rahman, Saidul Islam, Khoybar Ali, Aklima Khatun, Mohsena Begum and Kulsum Begum of different villages said they were earning Tk 400 to Tk 500 as wages per day by harvesting T-Aman rice crop on the fields.
District Marketing Officer for Rangpur ASM Hassan Sarwar said the market price of rice marked fall by Tk 5.0 to Tk 8.0 in recent weeks following appearance of newly harvested T-Aman rice in local markets.
"The coarse variety rice is being sold now at rates of Tk 30 to Tk 34 per kg, medium variety at Tk 37 to Tk 43 and fine variety rice at rates of Tk 50 to Tk 54 per kg in the local markets," Sarwar said.
