RANGPUR, Feb 26, 2019 (BSS) – By virtue of rural electrification, expanded
irrigation facilities are helping farmers to increase crop production at
reduced costs making farm activities more profitable in Rangpur division in
last ten years.
Officials said the Rural Electrification Board (REB) through Palli Bidyut
Samity (PBS) and Northern Zone Power Distribution Company Limited are
providing electricity to irrigation pumps.
The farmers are getting low-cost power-run irrigation facilities using
their irrigation pumps and other pumps being managed by Bangladesh
Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) and Barind Multipurpose
Development Authority (BMDA).
“The farmers are getting irrigation facilities from 81,763 irrigation pumps
being run with power supplied by Rural Electrification Board (REB) alone
through eight Palli Bidyut Samity (PBS) in Rangpur division,” Superintending
Engineer at REB’s Rangpur Zonal Office Engineer Manabendra Lal Mustafi.
The farmers are getting 20 percent government subsidy on the bills for
consumption of electricity being provided by PBS to operate their irrigation
pumps for enhancing food production at reduced costs to ensure national food
security.
Talking to BSS, Horticulturist of the Department of Agriculture Extension
(DAE) at its regional office here Khondker Md. Mesbahul Islam said farm-
activities are becoming more profitable for availability of electricity-run
irrigation facilities.
“The farmers have cultivated Boro rice, potato, maize, wheat and other Rabi
crops on 8.07-lakh hectares of land this season using irrigation water from
2.53-lakh electricity-run irrigation pumps in five districts of Rangpur
agriculture region alone,” Islam said.
For expanded use of electricity-run irrigation facilities, farmers could
produce 38.87-lakh tonnes of clean Aman, Boro and Aus rice during the 2017-
2018 fiscal against 38-lakh tonnes of rice during the 2014-2015 fiscal in
Rangpur agriculture region.
“Similarly, farmers produced 21.62-lakh tonnes of potato during the 2017-
2018 fiscal against 17.75-lakh tonnes of potato during the 2014-2015 fiscal
in the region,” Islam added.
Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur Dr Md. Sarwarul Alam said
electricity-run 971 deep tube wells (DTWs), 15,340 shallow tube wells (STWs)
and two low lift pumps (LLPs) are providing irrigation to over 1.50-lakh
hectares of land in the district alone.
Among those, BADC provides irrigation facilities with 230 DTWs, 22 STWs
and six LLPs on rental basis and BMDA at Taka 100 surcharge rate for per hour
irrigation using digitised prepaid cards with 674 electricity-run DTWs in
Rangpur district.
Talking to BSS, farmers Manik Mian and Ariful Haque Batul of village
Najirdigar in Rangpur Sadar upazila said they cultivates Boro rice and other
crops in their 3.50 acres and 4.25 acres of land respectively using own
electricity-run irrigation pumps.
They spend Taka 3,000 per acre of their sandy land for cultivating Boro
rice using one electricity-run irrigation pump while other farmers spend up
to Taka 10,000 per acre there using own diesel-run STWs.
“Rangpur PBS-1 supplies electricity to my irrigation pump at Taka 3.82 per
unit with 20 percent subsidy on total bills,” Ariful said adding that he also
cultivates potato, vegetables and other crops using irrigated water.
Afzal Hossain of village Tahirpur in Mithapukur upazila here said he
cultivates Boro rice in his one acre of sandy-loamy land using prepaid
digitised card to avail irrigation water being supplied from DTW by BMDA.
“I spend Taka 2,100 per acre of land for cultivation of Boro rice while
irrigation cost is much lower for cultivation of potato, vegetables, maize,
aus rice and other crops using irrigation water of electricity-run DTW,”
Hossain added.