Production target set at 14 million tonnes

August 21, 2010

Despite having insufficient rain, the department of agriculture extension (DAE) eye an increased production of aman paddy in the current season with the target set at 14 million tonnes – an increase of over one million tonnes from the previous season.

According to DAE sources, some 5.45 million hectares of land would be brought under transplanted aman in the current season while 400,000 hectares under broadcast aman across the country.

Director of Agriculture Information Service (AIS) M Nazrul Islam said that of the total area under transplanted aman, some 4.20 million hectares would be brought under HYV while some 1.25 million hectares under local varieties.

He said the progress of planting aman seedlings in the current season is much better-double that of previous year till August 10.

The AIS director said till August 10, some 2,822,841 hectares of land has been brought under aman cultivation this year, which is around 52 percent of the target. Last year, some 1,362,232 hectares were brought under aman cultivation during the period, which was 25 percent of the target.

He said though there was not much rain in the current season due to adverse impact of climate change, the farmers did not wait too long this time to plant their seedlings.

Nazrul said the DAE officials have motivated the farmers to plant the aman seedling in due time and arrange irrigation through deep and shallow tube-wells with group initiatives.

The farmers have also been advised to ensure irrigation through preserving water by digging holes and from the ring-wells.

The AIS director said more rain is essential in the future for better production of aman as there was not much rain in the last month and also in the first week of August. On August 1, there was only 5mm rain in Rajshahi, some 3mm rain in Kurigram and some 4mm

rain in Gaibandha.

Besides, only around 1mm rain was recorded in Rangpur on August 4 while there was no rain in Sirajganj and Naogaon till August 9 and 10 respectively.

It was learnt that some 124,800 hectares of land – 123,750 hectares under HYV and 1,050 hectares under local variety – have so far been brought under aman cultivation in Bogra, which is 65 percent of the target.

In Naogaon, aman seedlings have so far been planted on 166,815 hectares of land – 160,035 hectares under HYV and 5,880 hectares under local variety, which is around 80 percent of the target.

According to the sources, two new high yielding varieties of aman – BR-51 and BR-52, which are flood resistant – have been used in the fields this year. BR-11, 10, 22, 23, 32, 33, 40, 41 are also in the fields.

DAE director (Field Services Wing) Habibur Rahman said the progress of planting aman seedlings is much better this year than the previous year – around 97 percent in Rangpur zone and over 70 percent in Rajshahi zone.

Besides, the progress of planting aman seedlings is much higher in Dhaka and Barisal regions this year compared to the previous year, he added.

In the previous season, some 5.80 million hectares of land were brought under aman cultivation – 5.40 million hectares under transplanted aman and 400,000 under broadcast aman, said DAE sources in city’s Khamarbari.

Production target set at 14 million tonnes

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