Transplantation of Boro seedlings begins in Rangpur region

varieties Boro rice seedlings
alongside taking extensive care of their growing seedbeds in Rangpur
agriculture region during the current Rabi season.
Officials of the Department of
Agricultural Extension (DAE) said farmers have so far prepared Boro rice
seedbeds on 22,005 hectares of land against the fixed target of preparing the
same on 23,093 hectares of land in the region.
"Transplantation of Boro rice
seedlings continues in low-lying and riverine char areas. However, the process
will get full momentum from the end of January next," Additional Director
of the DAE's Rangpur region Agriculturist Md. Tauhidul Ikbal told BSS.
The DAE has fixed a target of
producing 22,07,132 tonnes of clean Boro rice (33,10,698 tonnes of paddy) from
5,03,550 hectares of land for all five districts-- Rangpur, Gaibandha,
Kurigram, Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat-- in the region.
Farmers will produce 10,36,252
tonnes of hybrid variety Boro rice from 2,11,700 hectares of land, 11,67,680
tonnes of high yielding variety rice from 2,90,090 hectares and 3,200 tonnes of
local variety Boro rice from 1,760 hectares of land.
"Farmers have so far transplanted
Boro rice seedlings on 682 hectares of land in the region till Tuesday,"
he said.
The DAE and other
agriculture-related departments and different organisations have taken all
necessary preparations to ensure smooth delivery of seed, fertilizer,
electricity and technologies to the farmers to make the intensive Boro rice
farming programme a success.
"Steps have also been taken to
popularize large-scale adoption of conservation agriculture technologies like
Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) irrigation method in farming Boro rice to
save water and increase rice output at reduced costs," Ikbal said.
He suggested farmers to irrigate
Boro rice seedbeds at nights and discharge the water in the mornings and keep
their seedbeds under cover of polythene sheets to save the tender seedlings
from damage if the sweeping cold wave situation deteriorates.
"As the process of preparing
seedbeds is nearing completion, most farmers are preparing their crop lands to
transplant Boro rice seedlings soon" Ikbal added.
Talking to BSS, farmer Ariful Haque
of Najirdigar village in Rangpur said he has completed preparing Boro rice
seedbeds to begin transplantation of the seedlings on his five acres of land
after two weeks which will complete by February 15 next.
"As per suggestion of field
level agriculture officers, I am currently taking special care of growing
tender plants of Boro rice seedlings so that those were not affected by the
mild cold wave currently sweeping over the region," he added.
Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid suggested farmers to complete transplantation of Boro rice seedling on their croplands within February 15 to get maximum yield rate.
















