RAJSHAHI, Feb 19 (BSS): Many people are seen humming towards maize farming as it has been giving them better yield and lucrative market price in the region including its vast Barind tract for the last couple of years.
Nomanul Islam, a farmer of Gogram village in Godagari Upazila, has cultivated maize on one and half bighas of land during the current season. He along with many other fellow farmers expects better yield as suitable weather prevails here now.
"I got 16 to 18 maunds yield from per bigha of land and sold at Tk 550 to Tk 600 per maund in last harvesting season", said Islam.
Dr Shakhawat Hossain, Senior Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI), told the news agency that maize cultivation both in rabi and kharip seasons in the region has been increasing gradually as the farmers are showing more interest in this crop cultivation.
Taizuddin, another farmer of Kodomsohar village, said he is very happy with cultivating various less-water consuming crops like maize. "I had to face many troubles to manage water for irrigation on boro field," he said, adding that maize cultivation takes less water.
Meanwhile, Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) Project is facilitating the local farmers for maize cultivation. Already more than 3,500 farmers were given support under the project.
The IWRM project has been being implemented in 35 UPs and four pourasavhas in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts since 2015. DASCOH Foundation and Swiss Red Cross are implementing the project with financial support of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation- SDC.
Dr Ilias Hossain, Principal Scientific Officer of Regional Wheat Research Center (RWRC), said the region is viable for huge maize cultivation.
Maize contains high levels of Vitamin-A and its multi-dimensional use including production of corn oil with no cholesterol can help heart patients in many ways.
ATM Rafiqul Islam, Deputy Manager of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority, said maize is being used in making various nutritional foods like corn-well, corn-flex, poultry and animal feed and fodder and in several industrial products as well.
The demand of the crop is on the rise with increasing the number of poultry and dairy farms, he pointed out.
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