By Kabir Ahmed Khan
 
DHAKA, April 29, 2025 (BSS) - Boro harvest has begun across the country with the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) predicting a bumper production of the main staple crop this season.
 
Around 20 percent of the cultivated land has already been harvested and the amount of paddy production is around 44.70 lakh metric tons.
 
Boro produces mostly in the haor area and 80 percent of the haor paddy has already been harvested. The paddy harvesting will almost be completed by the middle of the next month.
 
DAE Sources mentioned that Boro is the most productive season for rice production. The foundation of the country's food security is built based on Boro. Because about 58 percent of the country's total production comes from this season. 
 
The DAE is expecting a very good Boro harvest this time. Besides, the low-lying areas of the country, especially the haor areas, are most vulnerable during the Boro season. Due to flash floods and rain, paddy harvesting activities in the haor region are affected. But this time, due to favorable weather, paddy harvesting in the haor area is almost at its final stage.
 
Talking to BSS, Dr Shah Kamal Khan, and Project Director of the Agro-Meteorological Information Systems Development Project, said, "We were worried about early floods and excessive rain during the Boro season, but so far there has been no damage to the Boro crop. The weather is generally favorable. The rain that is falling now is needed for irrigation purposes. So one thing can be said, a little rain at this time is a blessing for Boro paddy."
 
According to DAE, the production of Boro paddy was 2.10 crore metric tons (MTs) in FY 2023-24. Earlier, 2.07 crore metric tons were produced in FY 2022-23 , 2.01 crore metric tons in FY 2021-22 and 1.98 crore MTs in FY 2020-21.
 
Md. Obaidur Rahman Mondal, Director of the Field Services Wing, said that there is a high possibility of good paddy yields this time in the Boro season. 
 
"The slight rain that is falling in different parts of the country will not have a harmful effect. Because now more water is needed for paddy in many places," he added. 
 
He said that this time Boro paddy has been cultivated on 50 lakh 46.5 thousand hectares of land across the country, and the target of paddy production has been set at 2.l26 crore metric tons.
 
He said that this time, the target of paddy production in the three seasons (Aush, Aman and Boro) across the country has been set at 4.06 crore metric tons. 
 
However, Boro paddy meets 58 percent of the total target, he added. 
 
Paddy is cultivated on 454,000 hectares of land in the haor region during the three seasons. 
 
Most of the cultivated land in the haor region is in Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Netrokona, Kishoreganj, Habiganj, Sunamganj and Brahmanbaria. 
 
Eighty percent of the paddy has already been harvested through the combined harvest method in these haor regions. So 360,000 hectares of paddy have been harvested.
 
Meanwhile, during an inspection of paddy harvesting and threshing at Arial Beel in Srinagar Upazila of Munshiganj on Saturday, Agriculture Adviser Lieutenant General Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury (retd) said the yield of Boro rice in the country is satisfactory and its harvesting will be completed within the stipulated time.
 
A report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations on Bangladesh's food production said that Bangladesh produced 6.43 crore MTs of grain food in 2023.
 
Out of the grain food, 5.86 crore MTs was paddy.