Wheat cultivation decreases in Chowgachha

BENAPOLE, Feb 08: Wheat cultivation has decreased in Chowgacha Upazila of Jashore due to virus panic.
Rice prices are good and wheat cultivation has been reported to be low due to wheat virus.
However, the Upazila Agriculture Office is working to increase wheat cultivation.
According to the Upazila Agriculture Office, various varieties of wheat have been cultivated on 185 hectares of land in the upazila this season which is five hectares less than that of the previous year. Last year wheat was cultivated on 190 hectares of land. Due to the virus panic farmers have switched over to other crops including paddy in the last few years.
It is learnt that wheat has been cultivated in isolated way in 11 unions and municipal areas including 20 hectares in Hakimpur Union, 26 hectares in Swarupdah Union and 25 hectares in Sukhpukuria Union.
Farmer Ziaur Rahman, of Badekhanpur village in Narayanpur union of the upazila, has cultivated wheat on 8 bighas of exhibition plots. Already most of the wheat has started to appear. People think that this exhibition of farmer Ziaur Rahman will encourage the farmers of the area in wheat cultivation.
According to the source, the soil of all the areas except some low- lying ones of Chaugachha has always been famous for wheat cultivation. There was a time when the farmers of Ajnapada used to cultivate wheat extensively.
But in the last few years, farmers have suffered a lot due to the sudden appearance of the virus in wheat due to which the farmers started growing other crops including paddy on their lands instead of wheat. Different varieties of wheat are cultivated in the upazila depending on the soil quality.
Wheat cultivation of Bari-28, Bari-30 and Bari-33 varieties have been noticed more this year. These varieties are preferred by the farmers due to their high yield and low incidence of diseases.
AH Khalil, a farmer from Naodapara in Kharincha, said that there was a time when all the farmers used to cultivate wheat competitively in winter.
There was a competition as to who would cultivate more wheat. But due to low price of wheat and the appearance of virus in wheat for several years, people have turned away from wheat cultivation, he added.
Khalil has cultivated wheat on one bigha of land this season. So far there has been no problem. If the weather remains good, he thinks he will benefit from rice to wheat.
Raichuddin, upazila agriculture officer, said there was a kind of fear among farmers due to the wheat virus last year. The Agriculture Office went to every area of the upazila to motivate the farmers to cultivate wheat. Hopefully from now on wheat cultivation will gradually increase every year.

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