Maize farming receives a boost in Chandpur

CHANDPUR, May 20: Maize cultivation is gaining ground in Chandpur district as the farmers have found it to be a profitable venture in recent time.
Inspired by a bumper yield in the last winter season, farmers in the district opted for cultivating the cereal crop again after a short span of time.
Farmers said now-a-days maize is considered as a short term cash crop in the district.
Prof Hafiza Mujib, a nutrition scientist of Dhaka University working in Puranbazar Degree College in Chandpur town, said maize is a cereal crop more nutritious than rice and wheat.
Marginal people take maize as a food while animals are also given it as a fodder.
It is also used as a poultry and fish feed. So the cattle, poultry and fish farmers are
keenly interested to cultivate it.
While talking to the FE, farmers Hanif Patwary, Shahjahan Patwary and Johurul Haque of Lodergaon village in Shah Mahmudpur union said they start growing maize in their fields soon after harvesting potato, wheat and mustard seeds from there.
Hanif and his wife told the FE that maize cultivation needs no extra expenditure, no day labourers, no additional pesticide nor fertilisers as well. They simply buy seeds from the local haats and then sow them after mid-March.
By mid-June, they get mature maize. From time to time, they look after the fields and sort out the weeds and remove unnecessary parts of the plants. They hope to harvest maize by mid-June.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Chandpur, during the current summer and monsoon, a target was fixed to cultivate maize on 1,440 hectares of land in four upazilas of the district including Chandpur Sadar, Hajiganj, Kachua and Matlab Uttar.
Upazila-wise breakup of maize cultivation in the district is as follows: 1,045 hectares of land in Kachua upazila, 245 hectares of land in Chandpur Sadar, 100 hectares in Hajiganj and 50 hectares in Matlab Uttar upazila.
Kachua is a major maize producing area in the district which cultivates the crop mostly in summer season.
The target has been nearly achieved cultivating the crop on 1,430 hectares of land in the four upazilas of the district. Maize will get mature in mid-June and then it will be harvested, farmers said.
Maize cultivation during the current summer and monsoon has not been mentionable in four other upazilas such as Haimchar, Faridganj,Matlab Dakhshin and Shahrasti.
In the current summer, maize has been cultivated just after mid-March last and it will be harvested in mid-June next when it will attain full maturity, say experts in the DAE, Chandpur, adding that maize has slow growth in winter but rapid growth in summer and rainy season.
However, in the last winter season, maize was cultivated in all the eight upazilas of the district.
In the winter, maize was cultivated in mid-October and after maturity, it was harvested in mid-March.
Then a total of 7,765 hectares of land was brought under maize cultivation, although its target in the district was 7,665 hectares of land. There was a bumper yield during the last winter season.
A total of 68,5000 tonnes of maize was harvested at that time.
Due to the local agriculture officials' regular monitoring, easy availability of seeds, favorable weather and proper advice and instructions, the target was achieved properly.
Matlab Dakshin upazila was the major maize cultivation area with 2,850 hectares of land brought under the crop's farming followed by Matlab Uttar upazila with 2,415 hectares of land brought under the crop's cultivation here.
While talking to the FE, agriculture expert of the DAE, Chandpur Mobarak Hossain said flowers, leaves and main body along with branches of maize plants can be sold in advance as fodder, before the plants attain maturity.
That is why maize cultivation is gaining popularity among the farmers for its food value and quick financial benefits.
According to the farmers, just a few years ago, maize was cultivated on barely a few hundred hectares of land in Chandpur district.
Due to the motivational work in the open fields by the agriculture experts, maize cultivation is getting popular among the farmers of the district.
Agriculture expert Mobarak Hossain said, "Maize is a source of food for humans, fodders for domestic animals and also feeds for poultry birds and fish. So it has many merits and has also a good demand in the market."
A kilogram of maize is now sold at Tk40 to Tk45 in the open markets at Mohamaya Bazar and Bakila Bazar. So maize cultivation has brought smile to the growers.
Mobarak Hossain hopes if the weather condition remains favourable and no natural calamities occur, it is expected that Chandpur will see a bumper yield of maize this season too.

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