Khulna: The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Khulna Zone has initiated the distribution of seeds and fertilizers to 1,56,900 registered farmers in the region, replacing the previous method of providing cash incentives. According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, each farmer is receiving support for cultivating 10 different types of agricultural crops on one bigha (33 shatak) of land to boost Rabi Crops production for the current season. The DAE officials have stated that the incentive package, comprising seeds and fertilizers, is designed to assist farmers in cultivating a variety of crops during the Rabi season. Md Rafiqul Islam, Additional Director of the DAE Khulna region, explained that the agri-incentives cover wheat, mustard, groundnut, sunflower, onion, and four types of pulses, namely Mug, Mosur, Khesari, and Arohor. Under this program, each beneficiary farmer receives between one to 20 kilograms of seeds for various crops, 10 to 20 kilograms of ammonium phosphate (DAP), and five to 10 kilogr ams of muriate of potash (MoP) fertilizers at no cost to cultivate crops on one bigha of land. The farmers are provided with these incentives following the guidelines established by the Ministry of Agriculture, with distribution facilitated through authorized government dealers. Md Rafiqul Islam also mentioned that monitoring and rehabilitation committees, led by the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) in each upazila, are responsible for distributing the government incentives. Farmers in the Khulna region are currently engaged in the busy season of producing Rabi crops and vegetables. The government has implemented various measures to enhance agricultural production, aiming to boost output in the sector.
