Rice transplanter gains popularity in Panchagarh

PANCHAGARH, Jan 18 (BSS): Use of rice transplanter is gaining popularity in all the five upazilas of the district over the last few years.

Local people said farmers in the locality did not know about the use of the machine only a few years ago, but now they are using the equipment full-fledgedly as the department of agricultural extension has extended assitances to the cultivators.

Upazila agriculture officer of Debiganj Md Abdulla-Al-Mamun said transplantation of Boro seedling using rice transplanter machines helps the farmers to cultivate more land in less time as well as with less labour achieving uniform spacing and plant density and placing of desired number of seedling.

"Production of Boro paddy increases annually because of the use of the machine," he said.

At least eight bigha of land can be brought under Boro planting with the machine in a day and only half litre octen as fuel is needed for one bigha of land's seed planting, he added.

The department recently conducted farmers' field-day on seed plantation with the machine.

Apart from this, the government has given 30 percent subcidy for purching seed transplanter machine which will ultimately increase production of the food grain, Mamun added.