Most of the farming fields of Boro paddy with golden hue have become eye-catching at present predicting satisfactory yield everywhere in the region, including its vast Barind tract, during the current season.
Farmers are passing busy times in nursing the crops at the final stage of Boro farming as they are very much hopeful about getting cherished yield like the previous couple of seasons.
According to the sources concerned, farmers have cultivated Boro paddy on more land compared to the previous season because they are delighted with the selling price of transplanted Aman paddy at present.
Boro farming has exceeded the target by 8,151 hectares of land in Rajshahi division this season.
The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) had set the target of producing 34.62 lakh tonnes of rice from 8.18 lakh hectares of land in all eight districts of the division during the current season.
But, fortunately, the enthusiastic farmers have brought 8.26 lakh hectares of land generating scopes of additional rice production, Shamsul Wadud, Additional Director of DAE, said.
Around 7.31 lakh small and marginal farmers were given support of high yielding seed and fertilizer free of cost under the government's agricultural incentive programme in the division.
Of those, 4.30 lakh farmers were brought under the support of high yielding seeds, while 2.51 lakh others under seed and fertilizers for cultivating boro paddy on one bigha each.
Mozammel Haque, 54, a farmer of Shitlai village under Paba upazila, has cultivated paddy on 17 bighas of land this season whereas the previous season's acreage was 15 bighas.
Good yield and enhanced selling prices of both paddy and straw have encouraged him to cultivate paddy on more lands.
"I have sold only straw worth around Taka 85,000 in addition to the paddy last season," Haque said, adding many of his co-villagers have attained success in paddy farming.
Currently, businessmen and wholesalers purchase paddy and straw from the farmers' field directly as the grassroots growers are being benefited in many ways, said Atanu Sarker, Sub Assistant Agriculture Officer.
He added that the price of both paddy and rice during the previous Boro, Aush and Aman were seen to increase as a result of government-level rice procurement drives inspiring the farmers to cultivate Boro paddy on more lands.
Sarker also said the farmers can harvest some of the advanced varieties including BR-28 within the next five to six days.
"I have got a better price of the latest Aman paddy. So, I have cultivated Boro paddy on 10 bighas of land," said Nabir Uddin, a farmer of Kalma village under Tanore upazila, adding the farmers are happy over paddy cultivation.
Tozammel Ahmmed, a farmer of Mayamari village under Niamatpur upazila, said he has cultivated paddy on 18-bigha of land this season.
Regional office of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has taken diversified steps including farmers training, projection plot and supplying of the newly developed high yielding varieties among the growers to make Irri-Boro farming a total success.
BRRI has developed 14 Boro varieties of paddy which are appropriate for Rajshahi region including its vast Barind tract, said Dr Fazlul Islam, Principal Scientific Officer of BRRI.
The varieties are Brridhan28, 29, 50, 58, 63, 69, 81, 84, 86, 88, 89, 92, Brri hybrid dhan3 and Brri hybrid dhan5.
Of those, Brridhan50 is export-oriented premium quality rice, Brridhan58 is comparatively high yielding and Brridhan84 is iron and zinc-enriched.
Dr Islam said the field level agriculture officials, researchers and scientists are reaching the developed varieties to the farmers' doorsteps so that they can boost the Boro paddy yield after the best uses of the varieties.
The conventional varieties are being replaced by modern varieties which are good signs for the region in terms of boosting yield, he said.
He said there is no way but to enhance rice production through facing the existing challenges of adverse impact of climate change with gradually declining resources and agriculture manpower.
In the previous season, farmers produced around 32.50 lakh tonnes of Boro rice from 8.18 lakh hectares of land in the division.
Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha