Bumper Boro yield expected in Mymensingh, Moulvibazar districts
Reaping starts, may take 2-3 weeks to complete harvest
Farmers reaping Boro paddy at a profusely yielding field in Hakaluki Haor in Kulaura upazila in Moulvibazar district.Photo: STAR
Bumper production of Boro paddy is expected in Mymensingh and Moulvibazaar districts in this season as much larger areas came under cultivation and weather was favourable, said officials of Agriculture Extension Department (AED). According to DAE sources, the farmers here cultivated more lands for Boro this season to make up the losses of Aman crops due to last year's repeated floods. According to AED sources, some 2,60,720 hectares of land have been brought under Boro cultivation in 12 upazilas of Mymensingh district against the target of 221150 hectares, reports our Mymensingh correspondent. AED officials, who earlier fixed a production target of 8,65,760 tonnes this season, now are expecting 1,31,956 tonnes of additional Boro paddy. Hybrid variety of Boro was cultivated on some 45,880 hectares of land which was 5000 hectares in last year's Boro season, said an AED official. High yielding hybrid variety of Boro is gaining popularity as hybrid Boro paddy yields 4.7 tonnes per hectare on an average and it is one tonne more than other high yielding varieties. “We supported the farmers with latest agriculture technology and provided hybrid seeds to achieve a bumper Boro yield this season,” DAE Deputy Director Maqbul Hossain Talukder said. He also expressed hope that patapora disease (bacterial leaf streak) will not have any serious effect on Boro production in the district. Mymensingh Deputy Commissioner Md Shamsul Alam formally inaugurated the harvesting of Boro at Satrashiya in Muktagachha upazila on Sunday. Our Moulvibazar Correspondent adds: Farmers in Moulvibazar district have started harvesting Boro paddy while Agriculture Extension Department (AED) officials said they are expecting 53 thousand tonnes of additional paddy in the district compared to the last Boro season. During a recent visit of Kawadighi Haor, Hakaluki Haor and Hail Haor, the main Boro producing areas of Moulvibazar district, this correspondent saw farmers engaged in harvesting paddy. According to Moulvibazar DAE office, one lakh 31 thousand 33 acres of land in Moulvibazar district was brought under Boro cultivation this year. In the previous year, land under Boro farming was one lakh 1 thousand 270 acres. The DAE source said, according to their calculation, they are expecting that one lakh 93 thousand metric tonnes of rice (from Boro paddy) will be produced this year, which is 53 thousand metric tonnes more than that of last year. Last year production quantity of rice in the district was one lakh 40 thousand metric tonnes. Moulvibazar DAE Deputy Director Laxmi Kanta Pandit said the district sees a good production of Boro and about 10 to 12 per cent of the paddy has already been harvested as BRI-28, BRI-25, and BRI-15 varieties have matured. BRI-29 variety, which comprises most of the cultivated paddy, will be matured within seven to eight days, the DAE official said. There was no natural disaster during this Boro season, he said. Several farmers told this correspondent that they will be able to complete harvesting smoothly if favourable weather continues for two weeks. DAE officials said farmers are now safe as time of hailstorm is over.
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