Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Rain the deciding factor

Late but significant rainfall this season makes a large number of farmers in Mymensingh district hopeful of good production of transplanted-aman (T-aman) paddy while its cultivation faces a setback due to scanty rain in Bogra district this season.
Recent moderate rainfall several times brings bright prospect of aman production in Mymensingh district, said officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), reports our correspondent.
Aman was cultivated on 2,65,200 hectares of land while the target was 2,58,955 hectares in all 12 upazilas of the district this season, they said.
The late aman cultivation will bring good yield following moderate rainfall at the important stage of the crop farming, said farmers.
Usually good profit is expected from aman cultivation as it needs less cost compared to other crops because rain water comes as the bounty of nature, they said.
However, the cost of aman production this season sees a little rise as the farmers had to go for power-based irrigation early this season, they said.
Aman cultivation has exceeded the target and the recent rainfall will hopefully boost the production, said Narayan Chandra Basak, deputy director of DAE.
“Agriculture sees major changes in recent years due to climatic changes across the globe and we should get ready to cope with the situation,” he added.
Our Bogra correspondent adds: The target of T-aman production is likely to suffer a major setback due to scanty rain in the district.
This season T-amin paddy is cultivated on 1,84,937 hectares of lands in Bogra district against the target 1,80,678 hectares of land while the production target has been fixed at 4,91,494 tonnes, said Bazlur Rashid, deputy director of DAE, Bogra.
But the season scanty rainfall and consequently weeds grew and cracks developed in the croplands.
The situation hampered growth of shoots of paddy plants.
“If we have to arrange regular irrigation to the field, we will count loss in T-Aman cultivation due to the added cost,” said Taijul Islam, a farmer of Koichar village under Bogra Sadar upazila.
Afroza Khatun, senior observer of Met office at Bogra, said this season saw 45 percent less than usual rainfall, which is harmful for aman cultivation.
DAE sources said 75,305 shallow and 2,345 deep tube wells have been set to ensure required irrigation in the district.

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