Farmers across nine districts of Rajshahi division are delighted with a bumper wheat harvest and favorable market prices this season, reinforcing the crop’s growing appeal.
Like last year, wheat production has remained robust, prompting more farmers to expand cultivation. Encouraged by high yields and promising returns, many are bringing additional land under wheat compared to previous seasons.
Farmers reported yields of 10 to 12 maunds per bigha, while market prices continue to be attractive. After harvesting Aman paddy, many cultivators have opted for wheat instead of potatoes or mustard, citing lower production costs and higher profitability.
In Porsha upazila of Naogaon, wheat cultivation has expanded significantly. According to the local Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) office, the cultivation target for the current Rabi season was 4,820 hectares, while wheat has been grown on 4,640 hectares. However, the cultivated area has increased by 285 hectares compared to last year.
Farmers are increasingly adopting high-yielding and disease-tolerant varieties such as WMRI-2, BARI-30, BARI-32, and BARI-33.
Across Rajshahi division, wheat has been cultivated on around 125,000 hectares during the current Rabi season. The DAE expects total production to reach approximately 540,000 metric tons, thanks to favourable weather conditions.
Agricultural officials noted that wheat cultivation is gaining popularity in the drought-prone Barind region due to its lower water requirement and higher profitability compared to many other crops.
Ismail Hossain, a farmer from Bhatupura village in Godagari upazila, said he cultivated wheat on 100 bighas of land using improved varieties.
“The cost of cultivation ranges between Tk6,500 and Tk7,000 per bigha. The crop requires only two irrigations from sowing to harvest, and yields are good this season due to favourable weather,” he said.
Saifullah Ahmed, Agriculture Officer of Tanore upazila, said farmers are being encouraged to cultivate wheat with limited irrigation amid declining groundwater levels in the Barind region.
“To promote wheat farming, improved seeds are being distributed under various incentive and demonstration programmes,” he added.
Dr Azizur Rahman, Additional Director of Rajshahi Regional Agricultural Extension, said field-level officials are working actively to meet production targets, adding that cultivation has already exceeded initial expectations.
Dr Zaherul Islam, Chief Scientific Officer at the Regional Wheat and Maize Research Center, said farmers in the Barind region are becoming more confident about wheat cultivation due to its lower water requirement.
He added that the centre has released 24 wheat varieties along with suitable technologies for commercial farming.
Among the notable varieties, Prodip, Bijoy, Shatabdi, and BARI Wheat-26 are resistant to leaf blight and leaf rust and offer high yields. The latest variety, BARI-33, is resistant to blast disease, enriched with zinc, and produces bold grains with high productivity.
