RANGPUR, Dec 19, 2024 (BSS) - Despite facing a drought-like situation during the seedling transplantation period in the initial stage of cultivation, farmers have produced an all-time record 19,87,961 tonnes of clean Aman rice this season in Rangpur agriculture region. 
 
Along with the super bumper yield of the staple foodgrain, farmers are happy to get excellent prices of coarse variety Aman paddy ranging between Taka 1,280 to Taka 1,300 per maund (per every 40 kg) in the local market. 
      
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said harvest of Aman rice on the total cultivated land area of 6,19,745 hectares of land was completed early this week in all five districts of the region. 
 
Farmers have produced 19,87,961 tonnes of clean Aman rice (29,81,942 tonnes of paddy) exceeding the production target of 19,17,672 tonnes of clean rice by 70,289 tonnes or 3.66 percent this season.
 
"Farmers have achieved the highest ever average yield rate of 3.21 tonnes of clean Aman rice grains this time in the region," Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md Obaidur Rahman Mondal said today. 
 
Cultivation of high yielding and hybrid varieties of Amn rice in more land resulted in an excellent yield rate leading to the super bumper production of Aman rice this season.
 
Earlier, the DAE had fixed a target of producing 19,17,672 tonnes of clean Aman rice (28,76,508 tonnes of paddy) from 6,20,275 hectares of land this season for all five districts of the region.
 
The enthusiastic farmers, however, finally cultivated the crop in 6,20,362 hectares of land, exceeding the fixed farming target by 0.01 percent.
 
"However, the late short-term flash floods damaged standing Aman rice crop on 617 hectares of land and the remaining Aman rice crop in 6,19,745 hectares of land grew superbly resulting in excellent yield in the region," Rahman said. 
  
After completing harvest, farmers have finally produced an all-time record 19,87,961 tonnes of Aman rice in the region where they produced 18,63,499 tonnes of clean Aman rice from 6,15,981 hectares of land last year.
 
 "After harvesting Aman rice, farmers are continuing to sow seeds of potato, winter vegetables and other Rabi crops on the same land," Rahman said.
  
Talking to BSS, farmers Sohrab Hossain, Manik Mian, Amirul Islam and Solaiman Ali of different villages in Rangpur said that they have got excellent yield rates of Aman rice after completing harvest a couple of weeks ago. 
 
Farmer Mofizar Rahman of village Dolapara in Taraganj upazila said he got excellent yield rates of coarse varieties of Aman paddy between 55 and 65 mounds per acre of land this season.
 
"I am very happy with the current market price of coarse varieties of Aman paddy between Taka 1,280 and Taka 1,300 per mound and fine varieties of Aman paddy between Taka 1,500 and Taka per mound in local markets.