The farmers have got bumper Boro paddy yield exceeding the set production target by 6.87 percent during the this Rabi season in the northern districts, official sources have said.The overall Boro rice yield stood at 67,98,303 tonnes, whichis higher by 4,36,843 tonnes than the fixed production target forthe northern region,” Horticulture Specialist of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Khondker Mesbahul Islam said.
Adequate government assistances for farmers, smooth supply ofelectricity, fuel and fertilisers, no pests’ attacks, adoption of the latest technologies amid favourable climatic conditions and frequent rainfalls led to the bumper production, he added.
According to the DAE sources, the government had fixed atarget of producing 63,61,460 tonnes Boro rice from 16,12,492,hectares land while the farmers cultivated the crop on 15,95,375 hectares land this time in the northern districts.
Despite the fixed Boro farming target fell short by 17,117 hectares this season in the region, the overall Boro rice yield stood higher by 6.87 percent against the fixed production target
as the farmers achieved higher per hectare yield rate.
“Favourable climatic conditions and adoption of the latest agri-technologies helped the farmers achieving average per hectare yield rate of 4.26 tonnes rice against fixed target of
3.945 tonnes leading to bumper production,” Deputy Director of
DAE Feroz Ahmed said. The Boro rice production exceeded the fixed production target
despite little shortfall against the fixed cultivation target this season as the framers had cultivated more hybrid and high yielding Boro varieties, he added.
The farmers were to produce 11,44,493 tonnes hybrid variety Boro rice from 2,40,027 hectares land, 52,04,420 tonnes high yielding variety from 13,65,960 hectares and 12,547 tonnes local
variety rice from 6,505 hectares land as per the fixed production target.
Associate Director (Agriculture) of BRAC International (South Asia and Africa) Dr A Mazid said large-scale adoption of the latest agri-technologies and timely government assistances to the farmers contributed to bumper Boro rice production.
Additional Director of the DAE Sikander Ali told BSS that the officials, experts and scientists of all agriculture-related departments and organisations provided assistances to the farmers to make Boro farming programme successful this season.
– BSS, RANGPUR
