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The farmers have produced a record 1.76 million tonnes of clean Transplanted Aman (T-Aman) rice - 2.65 million tonnes of paddy - exceeding the production target by eight percent in Rangpur agriculture region this season, reports BSS.
Officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said farmers produced over 1.76 million tonnes of clean T-Aman rice, higher by 0.13 million tonnes or about 8.0 per cent than the fixed production target of 1.63 million tonnes of rice this time.
In 2017, farmers produced another record quantity of 1.72 million tonnes of clean T-Aman rice, higher by 0.26 million tonnes than the fixed production target of 1.4l million tonnes in five districts of Rangpur agriculture region.
The produced quantity of 1.76 million tonnes of clean Aman rice this season is higher by 45,662 tonnes of rice than the output of 1.72 million tonnes of clean Aman rice last year in the region.
Horticulture Specialist of DAE at its regional office Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam said the DAE had fixed a target of producing over 1.63 million tonnes of clean T-Aman rice from 0.59 million hectares of land for Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari districts in the region this season.
However, farmers finally cultivated T-Aman rice on over 0.60 million hectares of land exceeding the fixed farming target on over 0.59 million hectares by 9,292 hectares of land or 1.64 per cent in the region.
"The achieved average yield rates of T-Aman rice stand at 2.93 tonnes of clean rice per hectare with 3.49 tonnes per hectare for hybrid, 2.95 tonnes for high yielding and 1.67 tonnes per hectare for local varieties of Aman rice this season," Mr Islam added.
Talking to the news agency, Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Md Moniruzzaman mentioned some reasons behind achieving an all-time record production of T-Aman rice this season despite inadequate rainfalls in the region.
Officials of the DAE and other agriculture related organisations suggested farmers for providing optimum supplementary irrigation to their T-Aman crop fields for normal growth of tender plants.
The farmers cultivated hybrid varieties of T-Aman rice on 6,832 hectares of more land and high yielding varieties on 6,509 hectares of more land this time than last year and cultivated the crop on 10,020 hectares of more land this year than previous year.
"The farmers finally got a higher average yield rate of 2.93 tonnes of clean Aman rice per hectare this time against the achieved average yield rate of 2.91 tonnes of rice per hectare last year," Moniruzzaman added.
Regional Additional Director of DAE Md Shah Alam said farmers exceeded the fixed T-Aman rice farming target and got its bumper output for ensuring timely supplementary irrigation to their crop fields amid almost no pests' attacks this time.
"The mostly sunny and cloud-free weather ensured excellent photosynthesis helping tender plants of the hybrid and high yielding varieties of T-Aman rice to grow superbly and yield bumper output of the crop this season," Mr Alam added.
Talking to the news agency, farmers Echhahaq Ali, Ayub Ali, Yakub Ali and Emran Hossain of village Kathihara under Rangpur Sadar upazila said they achieved bumper production of T-Aman rice this season.