Gaibandha farmers urged to grow Parija paddy in off season

GAIBANDHA, Aug 4: Agriculture experts in a function here Monday urged the farmers to farm Parija paddy, an indigenous Aus variety, on high and medium high land to get additional crop during the off season to achieve the country's food security.
"Generally, after completion of the harvest of early variety Boro paddy in late April the land remains fully fallow for about three months at a stretch till starting of T-Aman paddy cultivation on the same land at the end of July", they said.
They made the comments while addressing a Farmers' Field Day function on Parija paddy cutting at Barmatat village under Lakkhipur union of Sadar upazila in the district Monday noon.
A reputed NGO RDRS Bangladesh and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agriculture University (BSMRAU) organised the function in cooperation with Krishi Gobeshana Foundation (KGF) and Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE).
Additional director (AD) of DAE, Rangpur region, M. Mohsin addressed the function as a chief guest and deputy director of DAE here AKM Ruhul Amin and DD of Rangpur AD office Rafiqul Islam were present as special guests.
With programme manager of RDRS Bangladesh Porsia Rahman in the chair, the function was also addressed, among others, by Professor of BSMRAU Dr. Moynul Haque, consultant of IRRI Dr. GM Neogi, senior monitoring officer of KGF Abdul Baten, district training officer Aminul Islam, Sadar upazila agriculture officer Sadiqul Islam, agriculture officer of RDRS Bangladesh Shorifa Pasha and journalist Sarker M. Shahiduzzaman.
As the land remains fallow during the middle period between Boro and Aman season, the farmers could easily produce short duration Parija paddy in natural rain water on the uncultivated land to earn economical profit, the experts said.
This farming could create working opportunities to the farm day labourers during the lean period in a bid to pass their days without economical troubles side by side to help achieve country's food security, they added.
AD of DAE M Mohsin said the paddy could be harvested in 90 days after sowing seeds by using Direct Seeded Rice method or in 75 days after transplanting 20-day old seedlings by August 15 before transplantation of T- Aman seedlings on the same land.
He also urged the field level agri officials to motivate the farmers to farm four crops-short duration Aman paddy, potato or mustard, Mungbean and pariza paddy systematically on a land in year avoiding high-cost Boro cultivation.
DD AKM Ruhul Amin emphasized on the expansion of Parija paddy farming in Aus season in place of Boro paddy to check the environment from the catastrophe possible as the underground water level was going down alarmingly due to lifting water for irrigation purpose.
Earlier, the agri experts formally cut the paddy on the land of one farmer Esahak Ali of the village. After crop cutting, the farmers present expressed their satisfaction over the yield as 13 maunds of paddy were produced in a bigha of land.
A large number of agri officials, farmers and NGO activists including the journalists of print and electronic media were also present on occasion.
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