RAJSHAHI, Jan 6, 2023 (BSS) - Grassroots farmers have started transplantation
of Boro paddy braving the winter chill and fog at present with the hope of
getting expected yield everywhere in the region, including its vast Barind
tract.

They are also passing their times in the works of land preparation, nursing
and caring for the seedbeds of the paddy as the full-swing seedling
transplantation will start within the next couple of weeks.
Around 35.52 lakh tonnes of Irri-Boro rice are expected to be produced from
8.12 lakh hectares of land in all districts of the division during the
current season, officials said.
 
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has set the target of producing
15.99 lakh tonnes of rice from 3.60 lakh hectares of land in four districts
of Rajshahi Agricultural Zone, while 19.52 lakh tonnes from 4.53 lakh
hectares in four other districts of Bogura Agricultural Zone.
 
Shamsul Wadud, Additional Director of DAE, said all the district, upazila and
field level officials and others concerned are giving suggestions to the
farmers to protect their seedbeds from cold covering their seedbeds with
polythene at night.
 
He said they are adopting all possible measures to ensure food security
through attaining the rice production target everywhere in the region to
ensure food security.
 
Wadud said 7.31 lakh small and marginal farmers were given support of high
yielding seed and fertilizer free of cost under the government's agricultural
incentive programme in the division.
 
4.30 lakh farmers were brought under the support of high yielding seeds,
while 2.51 lakh farmers under seed and fertilizers for cultivating Boro paddy
on one bigha each.

Shafiul Alam Mukta, a farmer of Pirijpur village under Godagari upazila, said
he has prepared seedbeds on 25 decimals of land for cultivating paddy on 18
bigha of land this season.

He is now very much hopeful of starting the transplantation of seedlings
within the next couple of days.  

Alam has adopted some preventive measures to protect the seedbeds from any
cold related diseases.

Regional office of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has taken
diversified steps including farmers training, projection plot and supplying
of the newly developed high yielding varieties among the growers to make
Irri-Boro farming a total success.

BRRI has developed 14 Boro varieties of paddy which are appropriate for
Rajshahi region including its vast Barind tract, said Dr Fazlul Islam,
Principal Scientific Officer of BRRI.

The varieties are Brridhan28, 29, 50, 58, 63, 69, 81, 84, 86, 88, 89, 92,
Brri hybrid dhan3 and Brri hybrid dhan5.
 
Of those, Brridhan50 is export-oriented premium quality rice, Brridhan58 is
comparatively high yielding and Brridhan84 is iron and zinc-enriched.

Dr Islam said the field level agriculture officials, researchers and
scientists are reaching the developed varieties to the farmers' doorsteps so
that they can boost the Boro paddy yield after the best uses of the
varieties.

The conventional varieties are being replaced by modern varieties which are
good signs for the region in terms of boosting yield, he said.
 
He said there is no way but to enhance rice production through facing the
existing challenges of adverse impact of climate change with gradually
declining resources and agriculture manpower.
 
Last year, farmers had produced around 32.50 lakh tonnes of Boro rice from
8.18 lakh hectares of land in the Rajshahi division. The grassroots farmers
are happy after getting better yield and market price of their harvested rice
contributing a lot towards ensuring food security in the region.

Additional 6,668 tonnes of rice has been produced in the division compared to
the target set by the DAE that had fixed the target of producing 35.51 lakh
tonnes of rice from 8.12 lakh hectares of land but, amazingly, the farmers
brought around 8.19 lakh hectares of land under paddy farming.