Farmers happy over bumper Aush yield in Dakop

Bidhan Chandra Ghosh, Dakop (Khulna)

Farmers of Dakop Upazila in the district are happy over the bumper yield and fair price of Aush paddy this year.

Aush paddy has been cultivated on 612 bighas of land in Dakop and Batiaghata upazilas of Khulna. Out of this, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) owns 35 bighas of land. Farmers are smiling after getting the bumper yield in off-time from fallow and saline land.

According to the Upazila Department of Agriculture, thousands of bighas of cultivable land had laid fallow in the Aush season after the Robi harvest in Dakop and Batiaghata upazilas. However, after getting incentive fertilizers and seeds under the ACIAR project of BRRI, Gazipur’s Irrigation and Water Management Department, and the upazila agriculture department, farmers became enthusiastic and 75 of them planted Aush paddy in 90 bighas of land in Dakop. Out of the farmers, incentives were given to 50.

However, 350 farmers have cultivated Aush in 487.5 bighas of land in Batiaghata. Out of them, 250 farmers have received incentives.

A total of 585 farmers have cultivated BRRI Dhan-48 and 98 varieties in the two upazilas. The yield of paddy has also been good. Aush paddy harvesting has just started. After getting a bumper Aush yield, some are busy harvesting Aush and planting Aman. These farmers have compensated for some losses by getting good yields in the current lean period.

Kabir Hossain Khan, a farmer of Batiaghata Upazila, said, “Earlier, after Aman paddy cultivation, all the land was lying fallow. This year, according to the advice of BRRI’s Shariful, I have cultivated BRRI Dhan-48 on two and a half bigha of land spending about Tk 10,000. The yield of paddy has also been very good. I have also started harvesting paddy. I expect to get 35 to 40 maunds of paddy per bigha. I am very happy to get a bumper yield of paddy in off-time and from fallow land.”

Mozaffar Hossain, a farmer of the Khalisa area in Dakop, said, “I cultivated BRRI Dhan-48 and 98 varieties on two-bigha land and the yield has also been good. But the crop is being damaged due to rat menace. However, BRRI people said that they will buy paddy at the rate of Tk 1,000 per maund. I will benefit from it.”

In this connection, Batiaghata Upazila Agriculture Officer Abu Bakkar Siddique said, “This year, farmers of different areas have increased the cultivation of BRRI Dhan-48 and 98 varieties of rice. And the best yield was from BRRI Dhan-48 paddy.”

Palash Kumar Kundu, senior scientific officer of BRRI, said, “At least 160 farmers of Dakop and Batiaghata upazilas were given 650 kg of BRRI Dhan-48 and 98 varieties of seeds and fertilizers for the cultivation of Aush rice in fallow land during the Aush season. But, due to excessive drought and salinity, most of the farmers’ rice seedlings were destroyed. Still, the 35-bigha land of 16 farmers in Dakop and Batiaghata have survived and the yield has been very good. In the meantime, a field day has been conducted in Batiaghata on the occasion of cutting of sample crops for the exhibition. At least 120 farmers including sub-assistant agricultural officers and UP members were present there. Seeing the yield of paddy this year, I hope that the cultivation of Aush paddy will increase next year.”