<i>Sandy Jamuna shoals turn greens </i>
Farmers eye good profit from rabi crops under army-assisted project
Maize fields have turned Jamuna shoals into vast greenery. The photo was taken from Gabsara in Bhuapur upazila.Photo: STAR
A massive agriculture rehabilitation programme is going on in Jamuna shoals in Gabsara, Aurjuna and Nikrail unions under Bhuapur upazila in the district under which farmers under supervision of army are raising rabi cash crops on hitherto uncultivated sandy lands. The programme has raised hopes among farmers who lose crops almost in every wet season. It is a different scene now with hundreds of acres on sandy Jamuna shoals full of greens and alive with people working in fields. The 12 Lancer Battalion of 19 Padatik Division and 98 Composite Brigade from Saheed Salahuddin Cantonment in Ghatail, Upazila Agriculture Extension Department and Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) are implementing the programmes. Farmers have grown rabi crops including maize, mustard, wheat, different varieties of pulse, china nut, sugarcane, potato, sweet potato, chili, onion, garlic and vegetables in the current season, Bhuapur upazila AED sources said. Among the greens, hybrid mazie on about 110 acres in Chandipur, Rehai Gabsara, Rulipara and Kalipur in Gabsara unions will easily draw anybody's attention. The army with help of agriculture officials supply insecticides and provide irrigation to the lands, cultivated by farmers' cooperatives. With the crop in shoals, lands under maize cultivation increased to about 1,400 acres this year from last year's 270 acres in the upazila, AED source told this correspondent during a recent visit. Besides, there are China Nut on 3600 acres, wheat on 2196, mustard on 1593, sweet potato on 1679, potato on 719, sugarcane on 430, winter vegetables on 961, pulse (khesari kalai) on 4100, mash kalai on 2952, mashur on 1366, chili on 976, onion 818, garlic on 810, ginger 18, turmeric on 40 and sweet coriander on 185 acres. Commanding Officer of 98 Composite Brigade Brig Gen Nasimul Gani, Lt Col Shakil Ahmed Biswas, Maj Sirajul Islam and Tangail AED Deputy Director Mohammad Hakim Uddin visited the lands recently. Abdul Latif, a farmer of Chandipur village and general secretary of the newly formed farmers' committee, said over 100 maunds of maize worth about Tk 60,000 at current market price may be produced per acre if there is no natural calamity. President of the farmers' committee Nurul Islam said, "The (maize) yield per acre may be three times the quantity normally grown”. Abdul Mannan, sub-assistant agriculture officer in Bhuapur, said they are providing all technical support and advice to farmers. "Only hybrid maize cultivation can make shoal farmers self-reliant by recovering the losses”, he added. Maj Asif Iqbal, responsible for hybrid maize cultivation project, told The Daily Star that it is possible to change the lot of poor farmers with a little effort if they can be organized. The project was taken up on the directive of GOC of 19 Padatik Division Maj Genl AKM Mujahiduddin, he added.
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