Delayed plantation may cause fall in Aman yield
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
S M Jahangir
Local farmers have missed the crop plantation target by at least 30 per cent in stipulated time mainly due to scanty monsoon rain putting the Aman yield target in doubt.
Although the affected farmers are lately trying to minimise their possible losses with cropping local varieties of crops, the delayed plantation will cause a significant fall in the yield, agriculturists and official sources said.
"Only about 70 per cent of the targeted land was brought under plantation of high-yielding variety (HYV) of Aman until August 15, the optimum time, due to the poor rainfall," a senior Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) official said.
The optimum time for plantation of HYV Aman is considered to be from July 15 until mid August of every year, said the official.
Cultivation of Aman crop beyond the said time limit, according to agri-officials, results in a significant loss in pre acreage rice output.
Following a drought-like situation, the government recently took an initiative to run nearly 9500 pumps under the Barind water development authorities for helping farmers of the northern region cultivate their land, but such efforts had failed to make any tangible progress.
According to the DAE, at least 30 per cent of the targeted land remained unused until August 15.
A senior DAE official said although the farmers, especially the country's northern districts, are still planting HYV crops, their rice output might be lower than expected level.
Many farmers have no alternative but to plant local improved variety (LIV), per hectare yield of which is much lower than that of HYV crops, the DAE official said referring to its field-level information.
Taking the present situation into account, both the agriculturists and DAE officials predicted a significant shortfall in the production of Aman, the country's second highest crop after 'Boro'.
The government had fixed the rice production target at 12.7 million tonnes for the current Aman season.
To achieve the target, it had also earmarked 5.8 million hectares of land for Aman plantation in the current season.
This season's Aman production target is 0.4 million tonnes up from the last year's revised target, officials figures revealed.
The government in the last Aman cropping season revised the output target downward by 0.7 million tonnes to 12.3 million tonnes due to some floods, he added.
In the last Aman season, the country's rice output, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, was recorded at 9.6 million tonnes.
Despite the unfavorable weather condition, the DAE officials, however, were optimistic about a good Aman crop for the current season.
Local farmers have missed the crop plantation target by at least 30 per cent in stipulated time mainly due to scanty monsoon rain putting the Aman yield target in doubt.
Although the affected farmers are lately trying to minimise their possible losses with cropping local varieties of crops, the delayed plantation will cause a significant fall in the yield, agriculturists and official sources said.
"Only about 70 per cent of the targeted land was brought under plantation of high-yielding variety (HYV) of Aman until August 15, the optimum time, due to the poor rainfall," a senior Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) official said.
The optimum time for plantation of HYV Aman is considered to be from July 15 until mid August of every year, said the official.
Cultivation of Aman crop beyond the said time limit, according to agri-officials, results in a significant loss in pre acreage rice output.
Following a drought-like situation, the government recently took an initiative to run nearly 9500 pumps under the Barind water development authorities for helping farmers of the northern region cultivate their land, but such efforts had failed to make any tangible progress.
According to the DAE, at least 30 per cent of the targeted land remained unused until August 15.
A senior DAE official said although the farmers, especially the country's northern districts, are still planting HYV crops, their rice output might be lower than expected level.
Many farmers have no alternative but to plant local improved variety (LIV), per hectare yield of which is much lower than that of HYV crops, the DAE official said referring to its field-level information.
Taking the present situation into account, both the agriculturists and DAE officials predicted a significant shortfall in the production of Aman, the country's second highest crop after 'Boro'.
The government had fixed the rice production target at 12.7 million tonnes for the current Aman season.
To achieve the target, it had also earmarked 5.8 million hectares of land for Aman plantation in the current season.
This season's Aman production target is 0.4 million tonnes up from the last year's revised target, officials figures revealed.
The government in the last Aman cropping season revised the output target downward by 0.7 million tonnes to 12.3 million tonnes due to some floods, he added.
In the last Aman season, the country's rice output, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, was recorded at 9.6 million tonnes.
Despite the unfavorable weather condition, the DAE officials, however, were optimistic about a good Aman crop for the current season.