Rangpur region completes 96pc Boro seedling transplantation

Braving the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers have completed transplantation of Boro paddy seedlings on 96 percent of targeted land area in Rangpur agriculture region where the transplantation process still continues. Officials of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said farmers have already transplanted Boro rice seedlings on 4.76 lakh hectares of land, 96 percent of the targeted 4.96 lakh hectares, in the region till Thursday.

“We are expecting to achieve the fixed Boro rice farming target as transplantation of seedlings will continue till March 15 next,” Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Agriculturist Md. Moniruzzaman told BSS today. The government has fixed a target of producing 21.54 lakh tonnes of clean Boro rice (32.31 lakh tonnes of paddy) from 4.96 lakh hectares of land for all five districts under Rangpur agriculture region during the current Rabi season.

The DAE with other agriculture-related organisations are working in a well-coordinated manner to ensure smooth irrigation, supply of fuels, fertilisers and electricity and other facilities to farmers to make the intensive Boro rice farming program a success. Enthusiastic farmers have put their maximum efforts in bringing more lands under Boro rice cultivation, braving the COVID-19 pandemic, to recoup the crop losses they incurred during the last year’s floods.

Getting assistance under the post-flood agriculture rehabilitation program, farmers are expected to exceed the fixed Boro rice farming target in Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat districts of the region this time. “The tender Boro rice plants are growing superbly amid excellent and sunny climatic conditions giving an eye-catching look to the crop fields all-around in all five districts of the region,” he said.

Meanwhile, farmers have put over 2.20 lakh irrigation pumps; including electricity, diesel and solar power run 2,816 deep tube wells, 2.20 lakh shallow tube wells, 588 low lift pumps and 450 other pumps into operation to irrigate Boro rice fields in the region.

The DAE has fixed a target of bringing 94,864 hectares of land under Boro rice farming adopting the Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) irrigation technology to enhance Boro rice yield at lower costs reducing lifting of underground water this season.

“Besides, targets have been fixed to bring 47,432 hectares of land under use of compost fertilisers, 2.84 lakh hectares under use of balanced fertilisers, 4.74 lakh hectares under preaching and 2.84 lakh hectares of land under logo methods this season,” he added.

 Talking to BSS today, farmer Ariful Haque Batul of village Najirdigar in Rangpur Sadar said the tender plants of Boro rice on his five acres of land are growing excellent now as he completed transplantation of seedlings by February 15 last.

Similarly, farmers Echhahaq Ali, Abdul Gafur, Mofizar Rahman, Dulal Chandra, Abdul Hye and Mokhlesur Rahman of different villages of Rangpur said they have completed transplantation of Boro rice seedling on their crop lands a fortnight ago.

Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid said farmers have brought more low-lying char lands, beels and riverine areas under Boro rice farming to recoup crop losses they incurred during the last floods.