Boro paddy output has gone up by 12.69% compared to its target across the country this season, which agriculture officials attribute to increased use of agriculture technology and congenial weather.
”The government had a target of achieving 28.3 million metric tonnes, but got 31.9 million tonnes, up by 3.6 million tonnes,” says Deputy Director at Bogra Department of Agriculture Extension AH Bazlur Rashid.
“Boro paddy yield was estimated at 3.86 metric tonnes per hectare, but in the beginning of the season, it has been learnt that 4.38 metric tonnes was produced per hectare,” he says.
Prices are also satisfactory for which farmers say they are happier this season.
A farmer, Enamul Haq, 45, of Nandigram upazila’s Ronbagha says they have got 8.10 metric tonnes of paddy per hectre this year, up by 0.8 metric tonnes from the last year.
Every 40 kilograms of paddy was sold for Tk 620 last year while it is being sold for Tk 830 this year, he said.
Per 40 kilograms of paddy was sold for Tk 800 to 830 depending on quality last year while it has been sold for for Tk 850 at the very beginning of this season, says another farmer Abdur Razzak, 55, of Datmaniza village.
“Every 40 kilograms of paddy could be sold for Tk 1000 if there were no bigger calamity within 20 days next,” he predicts.
Another farmer Md Emran Al Sarcar of Kalinjira village at Dinapur’s Ghoraghat upazila says he sold 40 kilograms of BR-28 and 29 varieties of paddy for up to Tk 580 while it is being sold for Tk 680 now.
“Irrigation crisis has dented the output but it is not affecting farmers because prices are better this year,” he says.
Deputy Director at Bogra Department of Agriculture Extension AH Bazlur Rashid, says, “Boro paddy has been grown on around 4.7 million hectares of land across the country.”
“Less prevalence of insects and congenial weather and use of modern agriculture technology like seed dealers and paddy planters have played a role in the bumper yield,” he says.