In a bid to increase production and earn more profit farmers of Kurigram have become interested in cultivating flood, drought and cold-tolerant crops.
With the fund from “World Food Security Programme” a project namely “Integrated Agricultural Productivity Project (IAPP)” was introduced in the distrcit and farmers have already started realising that they could uplift their living standard with cultivation of these varieties of paddy.
According to Department of Agricultural Extension, a total of 47,905 farmers of the district have brought their land under flood, drought and cold tolerant paddy cultivation this year with a hopes that they would have to be victims of natural calamities.
Local sources said the IAPP project has identified food-drought vulnerable areas of 55 unions under nine upazilas where it would likely to provide training to farmers.
Flood tolerant paddies – BIRI 51, BIRI 52, Bina 11 and Bina 12 – could be protected under water for 16 days without damage.
Farmers of drought vulnerable areas were inspired to cultivate drought tolerant paddies – BIRI 56 and BIRI 57.
The DAE officials said a total of 15,484 tonnes of flood-tolerant paddies were produced on 3,470 hectares of land with the help of the project in the district last year. But, the production cost was only Tk25,420 per hectares of land.
The officials said farmers could cultivate crop thrice on the same land with less cost.
Farmer Jamshed Ali of Jatrapur union said earlier farmers of the district could only produce nuts and lintil on the land of char areas in a year.
He said: “We are benefited from cultivation of green gram, white lentils, red grams on the land. Project officials gave us advice on seeds, fertilisers and irrigation which reduced our production costs.”
Nazrul Islam, a farmer of Holokhana union, said: “Last year I had to incur loss as most of my crops were damaged in floods. After cultivating flood tolerant paddy – BIRI 51 on my crops I earn profit this year.”
Farmer Abdus Samad said, “We could produce crops thrice in a year for bringing flood-drought tolerant paddy under cultivation.”
Farmer Abdul Hossain and Chairman of Hatia union of Ulipur upazila said: “The traditional crops were vanishing day by day as those seeds were getting popularity. But, there is no alternative of using developed seeds to cultivate crops coping with the climate change to ensure food security.”
Sirajul Islam, Kurigram district coordinator of IAPP, said, “The project had started working with farmers since 2012. At first, we faced problems to train them. But, now farmers are understanding the benefits of producing more crops after using the developed seeds.”
Deputy Director General of Department of Agricultural Extension Protip Kumar Mandal said: “The project got achievements in a short period of time. Project officials were giving services and information to them and as a result farmers were becoming conscious.”
He added, “Competing with climate change, farmers have been exceeding the target of agricultural production every year with devoloped variety of paddy.”
