Boro target to be attained in 10 southwestern dists
DAE Officials said 22 lakh tonnes will be produced against last year's 18 lakh tonnes as bacterial infection is minimal
Despite bacterial infection in certain areas, the targeted 22 lakh tonnes of Irri-Boro production in 10 southwestern districts under Khulna division in current season will be attained, according to agriculture officials.
The production target this year is four lakh tonnes higher than last year's 18 lakh tonnes, they said.
The target will be fulfilled as rice cultivation exceeded their estimated area while the bacterial infection affected small pockets only, officials of the Departments of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said.
Farmers cultivated Boro on 5.64 lakh hectares against the target of 5.21 lakh hectares in the ten districts this year. The districts are Kushtia, Jhenidah, Jessore, Magura, Narail, Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira, Chuadanga and Meherpur.
Of the total area, hybrid Boro has been cultivated on 1,74,963 hectares and high yielding varieties on 3,83,800 hectares. The rest were under different local varieties.
The DAE officials said Boro on 14,229 hectares have been affected with bacterial leaf streak (BLS) and Bacterial Leaf Blight (BLB), locally known as pata pora disease in five districts of Khulna, Jessore, Magura, Jhenidah and Bagerhat. The affected areas are about 8000 hectares in Jhenidah, 3860 in Jessore, 700 in Magura, 1000 in Khulna and 730 in Bagerhat.
"This will not hamper the expected target of production as the total area under Irri-Boro exceeded the target and as a bumper harvest is on the horizon”, said Md. Meser Ali, Additional Director (AD) of AED for
Khulna division.
The bacterial attack will not effect the overall production, he told this correspondent.
"Moreover, fields in all the districts in the region have not been affected. Certain areas in only five out of 10 districts have been affected," Meser Ali said.
This correspondent also contacted DAE officials in other different districts over phone. They also shared the same view expressed by Meser Ali.
They said they got reports of good crop, mainly because of favourable weather, proper irrigation facilities and supply of fertiliser.
"We are expecting 10 percent extra yield this year as there has not been any natural calamity till now in the region”, said S M Shamsul Arefin, DD of DAE regional office in Kushtia.
The highest target of cultivation was set for Jessore where 1,53,773 hectares were brought under Irri-Boro cultivation, while the lowest 24,853 was in Meherpur.
Areas under rice cultivation in other districts were 89,479 hectares in Jhenidah, 70,970 in Satkhira, 40,883 in Magura, 34210 in Narail, 43625 in Khulna, 34,994 in Chuadanga, 33,852 in Kushtia and 37,805 hectares in Bagerhat.
Experts and agriculture officials hope that the bumper production will help to ease the current food shortage caused by last year's floods and cyclone Sidr.
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