Farmers produce 20-lakh tonnes clean Aman rice in Rangpur region
Along with the excellent yield of the staple food grain, farmers are happy to see excellent prices of coarse Aman paddy (per 40 kg) in the local market, ranging from Taka 1,200 to Taka 1,300 in all five districts across the Rangpur region.
Despite facing drought-like conditions during the initial stages of cultivation, farmers in the Rangpur agricultural region have produced over 20 lakh tonnes of clean Aman rice this season.
Along with the excellent yield of the staple food grain, farmers are happy to see excellent prices of coarse Aman paddy (per 40 kg) in the local market, ranging from Taka 1,200 to Taka 1,300 in all five districts across the region.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said harvest of Aman rice on the total cultivated land area of 6,21,398 hectares of land (excluding crop damages caused by floods) was completed last week.
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Farmers have produced 20,00,614 tonnes of clean Aman rice (30,00,921 tonnes of paddy) against the set production target of 20,10,505 tonnes of clean Aman rice in the region this season.
"Farmers have achieved the highest ever average yield rate of 3.23 tonnes of clean Aman rice grains this time against last year's 3.21 tonnes per hectare," Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Krishibid Md Shirajul Islam told BSS today.
Cultivation of high-yielding and hybrid varieties of Aman rice in more land areas resulted in an excellent yield rate leading to the super bumper production of Aman rice this season.
Earlier, the interim government through the DAE had set a target of producing 20,10,505 tonnes of clean Aman rice (30,15,757 tonnes in terms of paddy) from 6,20,430 hectares of land for the region.
Enthusiastic farmers have finally cultivated Aman rice on 6,21,505 hectares of land, 100.17 percent of the targeted land area, in all five districts of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari in the region.
Meanwhile, the recent short-term flash floods damaged standing Aman rice crop on 107 hectares of land and the remaining Aman rice crop in 6,21,398 hectares of land grew superbly resulting in excellent yield in the region.
"However, farmers have finally produced 20,00,614 tonnes of clean Aman rice this season, higher by 12,654 tonnes against last year's production of 19,87,960 tonnes of clean Aman rice in the region," Krishibid Islam said.
"After harvesting Aman rice, farmers are sowing seeds of potatoes, winter vegetables and other Rabi crops in the same land," he said, adding that farmers in rural areas are busy celebrating the Nabanna festival with their newly harvested Aman rice now.
Talking to BSS, farmers Abu Torab, Nur Mohammad, Dula Chhanda Roy, Mobasswer Hossain and Borhan Uddin of different villages in Rangpur said that they have got an excellent yield of Aman rice after completing harvest two weeks ago.
Farmer Md Isahaque Ali of village Kathihara under Sadar upazila of Rangpur said he got excellent yield rates of coarse varieties of Aman paddy between 52 and 58 mounds per acre of land this season.
"Farmers are happy with the present market price of coarse varieties of Aman paddy between Taka 1,200 and Taka 1,300 per mound and fine varieties of Aman paddy between Taka 1,500 and Taka 1,700 per mound in local markets," he said.
