Cultivation of T-Aman paddy, a high value crop, has been exceeded in all the seven
upazilas of the district during the current season with an expectation of bumper
production.
Official sources said, Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) set a target to cultivate
T-Aman paddy on a total of 1,22,227 hectares of land in the district this year with the
production target of 4,64,000 tonnes of paddy.
The cultivation target was fully achieved after blissful rainfall though the transplantation
of Aman seedlings was hampered at the middle stage of the season due to prevailing
drought like situation.
Later, the target fixed by the department was exceeded bringing more 5,473 hectares of
land under the cultivation till September 10 due to favorable climatic condition during the
current season.
The transplanted seedlings of Aman paddy have already grown well and the paddy fields
turned into greenish look. The growers are so much busy in nurturing the paddy field
with the hopes of getting desired production of the crops this season.
In order to make the cultivation programme a grand success, Bangladesh Agricultural
Development Corporation and Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA)
distributed high quality Aman seed to the farmers of the district at fair prices.
Besides, different state-run commercial banks including Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank
are disbursing agri loans on easy terms to the poor and marginal farmers of the district to
help them cultivate the T-Aman paddy on their land this season, sources said.
In addition, DAE has been conducting training for the farmers for adopting modern
technologies of paddy cultivation, crop management and preservation of quality seed,
said Shamsul Bari, district training officer of DAE.
To ensure the production of T-Aman paddy in the district this year, BMDA has also kept
its electricity run 185 deep tube wells fully ready to supply irrigation water to the Aman
paddy field, if necessary, said executive engineer M. Noor Islam.
Deputy director (DD) of DAE Mir Abdur Razzak said more land would be brought under
the cultivation as a good number of farmers living at the chars of Sundarganj, Sadar,
Fuchhari and Saghata upazilas were cultivating the late varieties including Ganzia paddy
on their char land.
In reply to a question DD Mir Abdur Razzak said availability
of fertilisers, insecticides and other necessary agri inputs has been ensured at the grass
root level of the district during the current Aman season. –BSS, Gaibandha
