Farmers in S region switching over to maize farming

BAGERHAT, June 27 (UNB) :  Higher profits at relatively lower production costs are shifting attention of the farmers in the southern region away to maize farming from the regular crops.
Apart from cultivation of the cereal item being cost-effective, the cereal item is selling at better prices in the local markets compared to other crops.
Sources concerned said farmers of the southern districts started cultivating maize on salted soil of the coastal region in 2012 on an experimental basis. They became motivated in cultivating the crop after achieving good yields.
This year, some 1,200 farmers, including 200 female ones, cultivated maize on 650 hectares of land in four upazilas-Sadar, Kachua, Morelganj and Fakirhat-of Bagerhat.
Brac, country's leading non-government organisation, is encouraging farmers of the district in maize farming and providing them with all-out support for this.
During his visit to maize fields in different areas recently, this correspondent found that growers were passing very busy time with not only harvesting but also threshing maize.
Maize fields at different places were giving very captivating looks.
The growers said they have got bumper yield of maize this year cultivating it on their fallow lands.
Farmer Saidur Rahman of Shialkathi village in Kachua upazila in Bagerhat said he cultivated maize on his one acre (one acre equivalent to 100 decimals) of fallow land this year.
He spent Tk16,000-17,000 in the cultivation and now hopes to get profit of Tk50,000 by selling his produce.
He expressed gratitude to Brac, saying that the NGO has provided financial and technical support to him.
Other grower Alamgir Hossain said he had no idea that maize could be grown on salted land.
However, being encouraged by the success of other farmers, he cultivated the crop on his one acre of land this year and is expecting to get 70-80 maunds of yield.
Alamgir said he hopes to make more profit as the maize corns are being sold at good prices.
The grower added that he would cultivate maize in more areas of his land in future.
A female farmer, Rehena Begum, said she farmed maize on one acre of land after receiving training on the crop cultivation.
Panna Khatun, programme officer of Brac, Kachua upazila, said she has been tasked with supervising four maize blocks in the upazila and added that they were providing all kinds of support to the farmers from crop plantation to harvesting.
Maruf Parvez, Brac's representative in Bagerhat, said in addition to different technical supports, they provide Tk5,000 as financial assistance to each of the maize growers.
He added farmers require Tk17,000 to cultivate maize on one acre of land and they may get 75-80 maunds of crop per acre if weather remains favourable.
Thus they can earn profit of Tk60,000-70,000 by cultivating the cereal item on one acre of land.
Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Bagerhat, Hirendranath Hawlader said farmers are getting good output of maize as it grows well on the soil of the region.
He added the farmers (both male and female) are switching to maize cultivation as the crop brings much profit and they are providing different kinds of support to the farmers to increase its cultivation acreage in the district.
The DAE official said cultivation of maize begins late in November and it can be harvested within four months of planting.