RANGPUR, Nov 17, 2023 (BSS) - Farmers are expecting a bumper production of
Aman rice this season as harvest of the major cereal crop continues in full
swing with excellent yield rate making them happy in Rangpur agriculture
region.
 
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said a bumper
production of Aman rice will contribute to ensuring national food security
despite less rainfall during the seedling transplantation period amid the
global crises caused by the Russia-Ukraine War.

"Farmers are getting an excellent average yield rate of 3.13 tonnes of clean
Aman rice per hectare of land," said Additional Director of the Department of
Agricultural Extension (DAE) for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md. Aftab
Hossain.
 
Braving a drought-like situation during the seedling transplantation period,
farmers exceeded the fixed farming target of Aman rice in all five districts
of the region.
 
Earlier, the government through the DAE had fixed a target of producing
18,68,032 tonnes of clean Aman rice (28,02,048 tonnes of paddy) from 6,14,400
hectares of land this season for the region.

"Enthusiastic farmers have finally brought 6,16,962 hectares of land under
Aman rice cultivation exceeding the fixed farming target by 0.42 percent
despite the drought-like situation during the seedling transplantation period
in the region," Hossain said.

Till Thursday, farmers have harvested Aman rice in 2,07,494 hectares of land
producing 6,91,034 tonnes of clean rice grains with an excellent average
yield rate of 3.13 tonnes per hectare of land.

"We are expecting a bumper production of Aman rice this season in the region
that produces a huge surplus of rice and contributes to ensuring national
food security," Agriculturist Hossain said.
 
Meanwhile, early harvest of short duration Aman rice created huge jobs for
farm-labourers like in the previous years helping them in tackling the
'seasonal lean period' of 'Aswin' and 'Kartik' months this season.

"Despite the prevailing global crises and price hike of essential
commodities, short duration Aman rice harvest helped farmers and farm-
laborers in tackling the 'seasonal lean period' that has already disappeared
almost 15 years back," he said.
 

Earlier, a poverty-like situation was being created for lack of agricultural
activities during the months of 'Aswin' and 'Kartik' causing untold miseries
to the poor and farm-labourers even 15 years ago in the greater Rangpur
region.
 
After visiting Aman rice fields in different rural areas of Rangpur region in
recent days, Agriculturist Hossain said tender Aman rice plants got ample
sunlight to grow superbly despite less rainfall resulting in excellent output
of the crop.

Farmers are currently getting 4.50 to 6.00 tonnes of Aman rice in terms of
paddy per hectare of land from harvesting the crop in five districts of
Rangpur agriculture region.
 
"After harvesting short duration varieties of Aman rice, farmers are sowing
seeds of early variety potato, winter vegetables and other Rabi crops on the
same land creating huge farm activities and jobs for farm-labourers and
increasing crop intensity," he added.

Farmers Echhahaq Ali, Monirul Haque, Manik Mian and Golam Mostafa of
different villages in Rangpur said they have cultivated variety of Aman rice
in their croplands mostly using irrigated underground water this season.

"As harvest of the crop continues in full swing now, we are expecting high
yield rates of the crop between 40 and 55 mounds (every 40-kg is one mound)
per acre of land this season," said farmer Ariful Haque of village Najirdigar
in Rangpur Sadar upazila.

Similarly, farmers Lokman Hossain, Nur Mohammad, Solaiman Ali and Nurul Alam
of different villages under various upazilas of Rangpur said that they are
very happy getting excellent yield rates from harvesting their cultivated
Aman rice crop this season.