RAJSHAHI, April 1, 2021 (BSS) – Farmers have been harvesting wheat in
full-swing amidst satisfactory yield everywhere in the region, including its
vast Barind tract.
The growers are delighted as they are getting good yield at the initial
stage of harvesting this year. The plants have grown well due to favourable
weather conditions. They are also expecting fair prices of their produce this
season.
Muktar Ali, 42, a farmer of Hatibandha village under Godagari upazila,
has cultivated wheat on three bigha of land and got 14 mounds of yield from
per bigha of land. He’s happy over the obtained yield. He said many of his
co-villagers have harvested 14 to 16 mounds of wheat and most of them are
happy over this year’s yield because they cultivated high-yielding varieties.
Ali continued that many farmers are getting three to four mounds more
wheat from per bigha of land this season in comparison to the previous
season.
“Acreage of wheat farming has been enhanced to a greater extent in the
barind area in the recent years as the farmers are getting profit from the
food grain farming,” said Atanu Sarker, Sub assistant agriculture officer.
He said timely sowing of seeds accompanied by the cold spell, has been
considered as a positive sign for attaining a bumper production of the cash
crop.
Meanwhile, more than 5.26 lakh tonnes of wheat are expected to be
produced from around 1.44 lakh hectares of land during the current season in
all eight districts under Rajshahi division.
Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has set the target of
producing 3.76 lakh tonnes of wheat from 1.03 lakh hectares of land in four
districts of Rajshahi Agricultural Zone while 1.50 lakh tonnes from 41,065
hectares in four districts of Bogura Agricultural Zone.
The DAE has disbursed seeds and fertilizers free of cost among 36,500
flood-affected farmers for wheat farming under the government’s agricultural
incentive programme so that they can recoup their losses caused by the flood
in the division, said Sirajul Islam, additional director of DAE.
Besides, the department has distributed seeds and fertilizers free of
cost among 23,000 other poor and marginal farmers for wheat farming under the
government’s agricultural incentive programme in the division.
Rajshahi Regional Office of Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research
Institute (BWMRI) has developed 320 demonstration plots on farmers’ fields.
Dr Ilias Hossain, principal scientific officer of BWMRI, told BSS that
they are promoting some high yielding, heat and drought tolerant and blast
disease resistant varieties like Barigom 28, 29, 30 and 33 among the farmers.
He added that the Barigom 33 is the ever latest variety which is blast
disease resistant, zinc-enriched, large grain size and high yielding (20
maunds per bigha).
Various other government and non-government entities adopted diversified
steps to make farming a total success in the region as it is suitable for the
crop for its water-saving and drought tolerant features.
Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA), an ever-largest
irrigation providing state-run organization in the country’s northwest
region, adopted an all-out measure to make the wheat farming a total success.
More than 12.58 lakh community people of 2.66 lakh households are being
motivated towards promoting wheat like water-saving crops with intervention
of the ‘Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)’ project.
The project is being implemented by DASCOH Foundation in around 1,280
drought-hit villages under 39 union parishads and three municipalities of
eight upazilas in Rajshahi, Naogaon and Chapainawabganj districts since 2015,
said Jahangir Alam Khan, coordinator of IWRM Project.
He, however, said successful promotion of less-water consuming crops in
the Barind area would play a vital role to lessen the gradually mounting
pressure on its underground water.