Farmers in the northern region are shifting to maize cultivation from Boro rice, wheat, and other crops as they are getting higher profits.
Tofazzal Hossain, a farmer from Debirdanga in Nilphamari Sadar upazila, said half of his land is now used for maize farming, which was only about 10 per cent a few years ago.
He said maize gives much higher returns than paddy, which is encouraging farmers to grow more maize.
Rafiqul Islam, a farmer from Kamarpukur in Saidpur, said he cultivated maize on 12 bighas of land this year, up from 7 bighas last year.
He added farmers now grow rice mainly for their family needs, while the rest of the land is used for maize and other profitable crops.
In Nilphamari, Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Md Manzur Rahman, said maize has been cultivated on 32,000 hectares, exceeding the target of 28,000 hectares.
Boro rice cultivation in the district has remained almost unchanged at around 81,560 hectares. Officials said a noticeable portion of Boro land has shifted to maize, which is now considered a high-profit crop.
In the Rangpur region, maize cultivation has reached 0.14 million hectares across five districts, marking a 7.0 per cent increase from last year, said acting DAE Additional Director Md Sirajul Islam. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the country produced a record 5.5 million tonnes of maize from 0.54 million hectares in the last fiscal year (FY25).
The maize cultivation area has increased to over 0.60 million hectares in FY26, continuing a steady rise over the past decade, according to DAE.
Meanwhile, Boro rice cultivation has remained almost static at 0.509 million hectares, while wheat farming has dropped to only 14,500 hectares in the Rangpur region.
Dr Md Mahfuz Bazzaz, Director General of the Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute (BWMRI), said the country's climate is highly suitable for maize farming.
He said growing demand from poultry, livestock, and food processing industries has made maize a highly profitable crop.
He said that better prices and improved farming technology are also encouraging farmers to switch to maize.
Farmers can produce 35-40 maunds of maize per bigha, with production costs 20-30 percent lower than Boro rice.
The DAE estimates maize cultivation has reached about 0.6 million hectares this year, with a production target of 6.5 million tonnes.
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