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The farmers in Naogaon and Sylhet districts are now engaged in the cultivation of Aman paddy with the hope of achieving the highest production.
Our Naogaon Correspondent reports: Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in the district has set a target of bringing some 1,97,055 hectares of land under Aman paddy cultivation in the current season.
Of the total 1,97,055 hectares, the Ufshi varieties will be cultivated on 1,70,000 hectares of land, hybrid on 355 hectares and local variety on 26,700 hectares of land.
DAE sources said this year the cultivated Ufshi varieties include Swarna, BRRI Dhan-34, BRRI Dhan-49, BRRI Dhan-51 and BRRI Dhan-52; the hybrid varieties include Dhani Gold and Arise 7006; the local varieties include Chini Atap and Binnaful.
Shamsul Wadud, deputy director of Naogon DAE, said, "We are expecting to produce some 5,19,251 tonnes of rice from Aman paddy this season."
"In high land areas of the district, farmers have already started transplanting paddy seedlings in the field and in the low-lying areas, peasants are still preparing their land for transplantation,"
Our Sylhet Correspondent says: Poor rainfall has already delayed the cultivation of Transplanted Aman paddy, the main crop of the region, a number of farmers said.
When contacted, an official at the divisional office of the DAE informed transplantation would be in full swing in a week or two as the land preparation is complete in all the four districts of the region. However, transplantation has already been done on about 67,085 hectares, about 17 per cent of the target. The division's target of production has been set at about one million tonnes of rice from the targeted area of 399,996 hectares.
DAE's Additional Director, Sylhet division, Dilip Kumar Adhikari, said out of the total target, 138,650 hectares would be in Sylhet, 101,235 hectares in Moulvibazar while 79,091 hectares in Habiganj and 810,20 hectares would be in Sunamganj district.
In most of the areas farmers are busy preparing lands while making seedbed is already complete, informed the official. The farming is well so far amid normal weather although the required rains are not available yet in most of the places, the official said.
Farmer Entaj Ali of Boraya in Golapganj upazila said we have suffered a little due to poor rains this time. It has already delayed the transplantation, he added.
Meanwhile, the DAE has already distributed free seeds of late variety Aman as incentive for cultivating 5400 bighas of land.
During the last year's Transplanted Aman season, farming of the crop was a good one in the region with overall favourable weather conditions while the target exceeded.