DHAKA, July 1, 2020 (BSS) – A record of 13,36,566 hectares of land has been brought under Aus paddy cultivation in the country in current fiscal 2020-21 against the target of 13,29,600 hectares.
About 11,34,000 hectares of land were brought under Aus cultivation in the country last year, said a press release of the Agriculture Ministry.
Around 30,12,000 metric tonnes of Aus paddy was produced in the last fiscal of 2019-20, while the government has set a target of production of 36,88,800 metric tonnes of Aus paddy in the current fiscal.
Due to the government’s time-befitting measures, it has been expected that several tonnes of more paddy will be produced this year.
To increase Aus production, the government distributed seeds and fertilisers among 3,83,434 farmers under stimulus packages, while 82,400 farmers have been given agriculture inputs as the government assistance.
Amid the coronavirus crisis, field-level agriculture officers have been motivating farmers to cultivate Aus paddy and providing all-out support to this end.
As adequate rainfall occurred this year, there was favorable weather to cultivate Aus paddy. Farmers also got fair price of Boro paddy and that is why they are interested to cultivate paddy.
Besides, the government has set a proposed target to bring 59 lakh hectares of arable land under Aman cultivation in fiscal 2020-21 and produce 1.56 crore tonnes of paddy during the Aman season.
Farmers are being encouraged to cultivate high yielding and highbred Aman varieties aiming to produce more Aman paddy, the release said.
In addition, initiatives have been taken to ensure quality seeds of Aman paddy, balanced use of fertilisers, adequate irrigation and minimising irrigation cost.
To increase Aman production, the government has given subsidy to farmers in procuring seeds.
Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) under the Agriculture Ministry has given subsidy of Taka 20 crore to sell 19,500 tonnes of paddy seeds at farmers’ level.
The BADC is selling Ufsi Aman seeds at a Taka 10 less price per kg from the price it fixed, while the highbred varieties are being sold at a Taka 50 less price per kg from its actual price.