RANGPUR, June 3: The farmers produced 3.3 million tonnes of clean Boro rice (4.9 million tonnes of paddy) during the just-ended Rabi season in all eight districts under two agriculture regions in Rangpur division. Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said farmers produced 2.2 million tonnes of clean Boro rice (3.2 million tonnes of paddy) from over five lakh hectares of land in five districts under Rangpur agricultural region this time.
Besides, 11.14 lakh tonnes of clean Boro rice (16.71 lakh tonnes of paddy) was produced in the other three districts under Dinajpur agricultural region during the just-ended 2019-2020 Rabi season in Rangpur division.
The DAE had fixed a target of producing 32.95 lakh tonnes of clean Boro rice (49.43 lakh tonnes of paddy) from 7.73 lakh hectares of land for all eight districts under the two agricultural regions this time in Rangpur division.
However, farmers finally cultivated Boro rice on 7.58 hectares of land, less by 15,000 hectares against the fixed farming target and produced 32.71 lakh tonnes of clean Boro rice, less by 24,000 tonnes than the fixed production target this time in the division.
Of them, farmers cultivated Boro rice on over five lakh hectares of land against the fixed farming target of 5.03 lakh hectares and produced 21.56 lakh tonnes of clean rice against the fixed production target of 21.76 lakh tonnes in Rangpur agriculture region.
Besides, they cultivated Boro rice on 2.58 lakh hectares of land against the fixed farming target on 2.70 lakh hectares and produced 11.14 lakh tonnes of clean Boro rice against the fixed production target of 11.19 lakh tonnes in Dinajpur agriculture region.
The farmers produced 33.23 lakh tonnes of clean Boro rice from 7.83 lakh hectares of land during the last 2019-2019 Rabi season in Rangpur division.
Tailing to BSS, Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Muhammad Ali said the fixed farming target for Boro rice marked a little shortfall following cultivation of maize on more land in the region.
Citing similar reasons for crop diversification and cultivation of maize on more land area, Additional Director of the DAE for Dinajpur region Agriculturist Md. Sirazul Islam said the fixed farming target for Boro rice also witnessed a little shortfall in Dinajpur region.
Talking to BSS, farmer Ariful Haque of village Najirdigar in Rangpur Sadar said he cultivated Boro rice on 3.50 acres of land and got and an excellent average yield rate of 75 mounds (every 40 kg) of the crop in terms of paddy this year.
“Like other farmers, I am selling Boro paddy at rates between Taka 850 and 900 per mound in the local markets,” he said.
He said the market price of Boro paddy remains fair this year following procurement of the same by the government at Taka 26 per kg (Taka 1,040 per mound) directly from farmers.
Farmer Manik Mian of Darshona village in Rangpur said he achieved a bumper production of Boro crop cultivated on his 3.50 acres of land at the rate of 78 mounds in terms of paddy per acre of land.
Agriculturist Dr. Md. Abdul Mazid, who got Independence Award 2018 Medal (food security) in 2018, said adoption of latest agriculture technologies and favourable climatic conditions amid frequent rainfalls contributed to bumper Boro rice yield this year.
