RANGPUR, Jan 13, 2022 (BSS) - Tender wheat plants are growing superbly 
amid favorable climatic conditions predicting a bumper production of the 
cereal crop in Rangpur agriculture region this Rabi season. 

   Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said farmers 
have finally cultivated wheat on 18,280 hectares of land, only 520 hectares 
or 2.77 percent less against the fixed farming target on 18,800 hectares of 
land. 

   The DAE has fixed a target of producing 63,661 tonnes of wheat from 18,800 
hectares of land for all five districts of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, 
Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari in the region this season. 

   "Wheat farming target marked a very little shortfall following crop 
diversification and farming of maize, potato and winter vegetables on more 
lands," said Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist 
Md. Mahbubur Rahman.

   Farmers have finally cultivated wheat on 2,220 hectares in Rangpur, 3,185 
hectares in Gaibandha, 7,300 hectares in Kurigram, 1,190 hectares in 
Lalmonirhat and 4,385 hectares of land in Nilphamari districts in the region.

   "Farmers are expecting a bumper wheat production after sowing high quality 
wheat seeds on their crop lands using conservation agriculture (CA)-based 
technologies this season," he said. 

   The growers have mostly cultivated high yielding wheat varieties like 
'Bijoy', 'Pradip', 'Sotabdhi', BARI Gom25, BARI Gom26, BARI Gom27, BARI Gom28 
and BARI Gom29 and the harvesting process will begin from April next.

   Talking to BSS, Agriculturist Dr. Md. Abdul Mazid, who got the 
Independence Medal 2018 (food security), expressed satisfaction over expanded 
cultivation of less irrigation water consuming cereal crop of wheat by 
farmers in the northern region. 

   "Farmers are getting excellent wheat production in recent years following 
cultivation of high yielding, stress-tolerant and high temperature- tolerant 
wheat varieties adopting CA- based technologies," he said.

   Adoption of CA-based strip tillage and bed planting methods in sowing 
seeds using seeder machines increases wheat yield reducing soil erosion, 
necessity for irrigation compared to full tillage alongside saving fuel and 
labor costs. 

   In the past, wheat production was being affected due to adverse impacts of 
high temperature on its farming from flowering to ripening stages for late 
sowing of seeds after harvesting late variety Aman rice and use of low 
quality local seeds.

   "However, farmers are sowing high quality, disease-stress-high temperature 
tolerant wheat seeds timely using mechanized and low cost CA-based 
technologies after harvesting short duration Aman rice to get bumper yield in 
recent years," Dr. Mazid said.

   Talking to BSS, farmers Ashraful Alam, Mohsin Ali, Ariful Islam and 
Mohibur Rahman of different villages in Rangpur sadar said they are expecting 
a bumper wheat production as tender wheat plants growing superbly amid 
favourable climatic conditions.