RANGPUR, Feb 26 (BSS): Following rural electrification, expanded irrigation facilities are helping farmers to increase crop production at reduced costs making farm activities more profitable in Rangpur division in last ten years.
Officials said the Rural Electrification Board (REB) through Palli Bidyut Samity (PBS) and Northern Zone Power Distribution Company Limited are providing electricity to irrigation pumps.
The farmers are getting low-cost power-run irrigation facilities using their irrigation pumps and other pumps being managed by Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) and Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA).
"The farmers are getting irrigation facilities from 81,763 irrigation pumps being run with power supplied by Rural Electrification Board (REB) alone through eight Palli Bidyut Samity (PBS) in Rangpur division," Superintending Engineer at REB's Rangpur Zonal Office Engineer Manabendra Lal Mustafi.
The farmers are getting 20 per cent government subsidy on the bills for consumption of electricity being provided by PBS to operate their irrigation pumps for enhancing food production at reduced costs to ensure national food security.
Talking to the news agency, Horticulturist of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) at its regional office here Khondker Md. Mesbahul Islam said farm-activities are becoming more profitable for availability of electricity-run irrigation facilities.
"The farmers have cultivated Boro rice, potato, maize, wheat and other Rabi crops on 0.80 million hectares of land this season using irrigation water from 0.25 million electricity-run irrigation pumps in five districts of Rangpur agriculture region alone," Islam said.
For expanded use of electricity-run irrigation facilities, farmers could produce 3.88 million tonnes of clean Aman, Boro and Aus rice during the 2017-2018 fiscal against 3.8 million tonnes of rice during the 2014-2015 fiscal in Rangpur agriculture region.
"Similarly, farmers produced 2.16 million tonnes of potato during the 2017- 2018 fiscal against 1.77 million tonnes of potato during the 2014-2015 fiscal in the region," Islam added.
Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur Dr Md. Sarwarul Alam said electricity-run 971 deep tube-wells (DTWs), 15,340 shallow tube-wells (STWs) and two low lift pumps (LLPs) are providing irrigation to over 0.15 million hectares of land in the district alone.
Among those, BADC provides irrigation facilities with 230 DTWs, 22 STWs and six LLPs on rental basis and BMDA at Tk 100 surcharge rate for per hour irrigation using digitised prepaid cards with 674 electricity-run DTWs in Rangpur district.
Farmers Manik Mian and Ariful Haque Batul of village Najirdigar in Rangpur Sadar upazila said they cultivates Boro rice and other crops in their 3.50 acres and 4.25 acres of land respectively using own electricity-run irrigation pumps.
They spend Taka 3,000 per acre of their sandy land for cultivating Boro rice using one electricity-run irrigation pump while other farmers spend up to Taka 10,000 per acre there using own diesel-run STWs.
"Rangpur PBS-1 supplies electricity to my irrigation pump at Tk 3.82 per unit with 20 per cent subsidy on total bills," Ariful said adding that he also cultivates potato, vegetables and other crops using irrigated water.
Afzal Hossain of village Tahirpur in Mithapukur upazila here said he cultivates Boro rice in his one acre of sandy-loamy land using prepaid digitised card to avail irrigation water being supplied from DTW by BMDA.
"I spend Tk 2,100 per acre of land for cultivation of Boro rice while irrigation cost is much lower for cultivation of potato, vegetables, maize, aus rice and other crops using irrigation water of electricity-run DTW," Mr Hossain added.
