RANGPUR, Dec 26, 2019 (BSS) – The farmers are preparing to start transplantation of Boro rice seedling soon and taking extensive care of the seedbeds in Rangpur agriculture region during the current Rabi season.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said farmers have already prepared Boro rice seedbeds on 20,500 hectares of land by Wednesday against the fixed target of preparing the same on 23,201 hectares of land in the region.
“Transplantation of Boro rice seedling will begin after two weeks and the process will get full momentum from the end of January next,” Deputy Director of the DAE Agriculturist Md. Moniruzzaman told BSS at its regional office here today.
The DAE has fixed a target of producing over 21.76-lakh tonnes of clean Boro rice (32.64-lakh tonnes of paddy) from 5.03-lakh hectares of land in Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat districts of Rangpur agriculture region.
The farmers will produce 9.44-lakh tonnes of hybrid variety Boro rice from two-lakh hectares of land, 12.28-lakh tonnes of high yielding variety rice from 3.01-lakh hectares and 3,408 tonnes of local variety Boro rice from 1,800 hectares of land.
The DAE and other agriculture-related departments and different organisations are now set to ensure smooth supply of seed, fertiliser, electricity and delivering technologies among farmers to make the Boro rice farming program successful.
“Steps have also been taken to popularise large-scale adoption of conservation agriculture technologies like Alternate Wetting and Drying irrigation method in farming Boro rice to save water and increase rice output at reduced costs,” Moniruzzaman said.
He suggested farmers to irrigate Boro rice seedbeds at nights and discharge the water in the mornings and keep their seedbeds under cover of polythene sheets to save the tender seedlings from damage due to the sweeping cold wave.
Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Muhammad Ali said most farmers are preparing their crop lands to begin transplantation of Boro rice seedling soon as the process of preparing seedbeds is nearing completion in the region.
“The farmers will not face any difficulty as authorities concerned have taken adequate steps to assist them under comprehensive measures taken by the government to make the intensive Boro rice farming program successful this season,” Ali added.
Talking to BSS today, farmer Ariful Haque Batul of village Najirdigar in Rangpur said he has completed preparing Boro rice seedbeds to begin transplantation of the seedlings on his four acres of land after two weeks to complete the process by February 15 next.
“As per suggestion of the field level agriculture officers, I am currently taking special care of the growing tender plants of Boro rice seedlings so that those were not affected by the sweeping cold wave over Rangpur region,” Batul added.
Similarly, farmers Abu Bakar, Alfaz Hossain, Aminur Rahman and Mozaffar Hossain of different villages here said their Boro rice seeding will become ready on the seedbeds for transplantation from the second week of next month.