Rangpur: Agricultural experts are advocating for the widespread adoption of intercropping, relay, and mixed-relay crop cultivation technologies among farmers to sustainably increase agricultural production.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, these methods have the potential to alleviate poverty by creating job opportunities for agricultural workers and increasing food production, which is crucial for national food security.
Experts have evaluated sustainable relay technology and suggest that farmers can significantly boost food production by adopting these methods. Cultivating early varieties of Aman rice, Boro rice, Rabi crops, vegetables, and pulses is a key strategy. Dr. MA Mazid, a former Chief Scientific Officer of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute and recipient of the Independence Award-2018 for food security, noted that farmers have benefited from these technologies over the last two decades.
Dr. Mazid explained that the cyclic crop farming in the relay process or intercropping starts with the cultivation of Aman rice using the wet or dry direct-seeded rice (DSR) method. This approach enables farmers to harvest Aman rice 45 days earlier than traditional methods, reducing vulnerability to natural calamities and pest attacks and cutting production costs by at least 30%.
By employing relay, mixed-relay, or intercropping methods, farmers can sow seeds of potato, wheat, maize, pulses, and vegetables on the same land in regular intervals, thereby producing three to four or more crops annually from the same plot. Dr. Mazid further highlighted that adopting the DSR or ‘lithao’ method in Boro rice farming can reduce irrigation water requirements by 30% and decrease production costs, conserving significant amounts of imported fuels.
Dr. Md Abu Sayem, Deputy Director of the Burirhat Horticulture Center of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Rangpur, emphasized that nationwide adoption of these technologies could revolutionize the country’s agriculture sector. The relay technology has been successful in increasing food production, lowering costs, and combating seasonal job crises in the Rangpur region.
Md Mamunur Rashid, a PhD Fellow in the DAE at Dinajpur Haji Mohammad Danesh University of Science and Technology, stated that farmers could benefit from cultivating early varieties of Aman rice using relay methods. He noted that Aman rice cultivated through the wet or dry DSR method can be harvested within 100 days, significantly reducing the farming period.
Farmers like Shahinur Islam and Aminul Islam from different regions in Rangpur have reported good profits from cultivating various crops using relay, mixed-relay, or intercropping methods. Their experiences underscore the potential economic benefits of these innovative agricultural practices.