Boro harvesting begins in Rajshahi amid festivity

RAJSHAHI, Apr 25 (BSS): Farmers have started harvesting Boro paddy with festivity due to satisfactory yield in the region, including its vast Barind tract.
Now, most of the farming fields have taken an eye-catching look as early varieties of paddy are now in ripening stages.
The yield has created a high hope of supplementing the government efforts of ensuring food security.
At this initial stage, farmers are seen harvesting some high yielding and short duration varieties like BR-28 and local jira varieties. The other varieties will be harvested within the next two to three weeks.
Abdul Matin, a farmer of Choitannapur village under Godagari upazila, has harvested 22 maunds of yield of BR-28 from each bigha of land, while last year's yield was 19 maunds.
He has cultivated Boro paddy on 12 bighas of land this season saying all of his farming conditions are very much optimistic.
Golam Mostofa, 56, another farmer of Kacharipara village, who have brought 15 bighas of land under the paddy farming this season. He has harvested a few parts of the paddy attaining 23 maunds of yield of jira variety from per bigha of land.
Sub Assistant Agriculture Officer Atanu Sarker said that the farmers are now delighted over their achieved yield.
Meanwhile, Boro farming has exceeded the target by 8,151 hectares of land in Rajshahi division this season.
The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) had set the target of producing 3.46 million (34.62 lakh) tonnes of rice from 0.81 million (8.18 lakh) hectares of land in all eight districts of the division during the current season.
But, fortunately, the enthusiastic farmers have brought 0.82 million (8.26 lakh) hectares of land generating scopes of additional rice production, Shamsul Wadud, Additional Director of DAE, said.
Around 0.73 million (7.31 lakh) small and marginal farmers were given support of high yielding seed and fertilizer free of cost under the government's agricultural incentive programme in the division.
Of those, 0.43 million (4.30 lakh) farmers were brought under the support of high yielding seeds, while 0.25 million (2.51 lakh) others under seed and fertilizers for cultivating Boro paddy on one bigha each.
Jakir Hossain, 54, a farmer of Hatibandha village under Godagari upazila, has cultivated paddy on 20 bighas of land this season whereas the previous season's acreage was 15 bighas.
Good yield and enhanced selling prices of both paddy and straw have encouraged him to cultivate the paddy on more lands.
"I have sold only straw worth around Taka 75,000 in addition to the paddy last season," Hossain said, adding that many of his co-villagers have attained success in paddy farming.
Currently, businessmen and wholesalers purchase paddy and straw from the farmers' field directly as the grassroots growers are being benefited in many ways, said Hossain.
He added that the price of both paddy and rice during the previous Boro, Aush and Aman were seen to increase as a result of government-level rice procurement drives inspiring the farmers to cultivate Boro paddy on more lands.
Sarker also said the farmers can harvest some of the advanced varieties including BR-28 within the next five to six days.
"I've got a better price of the latest Aman paddy. So, I have cultivated Boro paddy on 10 bighas of land," said Abu Rahman, a farmer of Gubirpara village under Tanore upazila, adding that the farmers are happy with the paddy cultivation.
Abul Kashem, a farmer of Mayamari village under Niamatpur upazila, said he has cultivated paddy on 18-bigha of land this season.