Online Desk : The government has fixed a production target of 24.79 lakh tonnes of maize from about 2.37 lakh hectares of land for two agriculture regions in Rangpur division during this Rabi season.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said about 10.52 tonnes of maize will be produced from around 1.02 lakh hectares of land in five districts of Rangpur agriculture region under the intensive maize farming programme.

Besides, 14.27 lakh tonnes of wheat will be produced from 1.35 lakh hectares of land in three districts of Dinajpur agriculture region during the current Rabi season.

During the last Ravi season, farmers produced 24.03 lakh tonnes of maize from 2.34 lakh hectares of land in Rangpur division.

“Farmers have started sowing maize seeds braving the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic across the division,” Acting Additional Director of the DAE at its regional office here, Agriculturalist Md. Moniruzzaman told BSS.

They (farmers) have already brought over 30,000 hectares of land under maize cultivation till Monday in the division where sowing of its seeds continues.

Farmers are showing more interest in maize farming after getting its repeated bumper productions with excellent market price in recent years as the crop has huge demand in local markets.

Like in the previous seasons, char people are cultivating maize on char lands on the Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dharla, Jamuna, Dudhkumar, Kartoa, Ghaghot, Atrai and other riverine areas in Rangpur division this season.

After incurring huge crop losses during recent floods, farmers, mostly in char areas, are bringing more lands under maize cultivation this season to enhance its production and get huge benefits.

“The government is distributing special agriculture incentives in terms of seeds and fertilisers among small and marginal farmers to increase maize production this season,” Moniruzzaman said, predicting a bumper production of the crop.

Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid told BSS that expanded maize farming on both mainland and sandy riverine char areas has become more profitable than cultivation of many other crops.

Getting necessary assistance and latest technologies from the DAE and different NGOs, farmers are becoming inspired in cultivating maize on more lands to enhance its production and get lucrative market price.

“The expanding maize cultivation is largely contributing to cutting poverty and helping small and marginal farmers, landless char and riverside people in improving livelihoods,” Rashid added.

Talking to BSS, farmers Aminul Haque, Golam Rabbani, Nur Hossain and Sekendar Ali of different villages in Rangpur said they are sowing maize seeds on their crop lands after harvesting Aman rice.

Talking to BSS, Noted Agriculturalist Dr Md Abdul Mazid, who got the Independence Medal-2018 (food security), stressed on expanding cultivation of the low-irrigation water consuming maize crop to save huge underground water.

“Farmers can get maximum output of maize adopting conservation agriculture-based latest technologies and using less farm-labourers and farming time to reduce farming costs across the northern region, including Rangpur division,” he said.

Dr. Mazid said maize is largely being used as fodder of domestic animals and poultry birds in the country’s growing animal husbandry, poultry and food industries sectors consistently increasing its demand in local markets. BSS