Jashore farmers reap good profits from paddy farming

Farmer Tahid Moni of Jashore has been earning Tk 17,000 to Tk 20,000 in profit by cultivating paddy on one bigha of land.

He considers paddy cultivation his source of year-round financial security. Despite the rising production costs, he is still able to make a good profit from paddy cultivation alone.

Moni said that due to the increasing price of essentials and fertilisers, many farmers tend to move away from paddy farming.

However, he continues to grow paddy without any major difficulties.

This season, he cultivated paddy on six and a half bighas of land. Due to untimely rain, some of the crops were damaged. Yet he harvested 145 maunds of paddy. According to his calculations, after all expenses, including fertilisers and labour, he made a profit of approximately Tk 24,500.

Another farmer, Aiyub Hossain, said he has been cultivating BRRI paddy on six and a half bighas for the past eight years.

This year, heavy rainfall damaged some parts of his crop, but he still managed to get a decent yield.Officials from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said if weather remains favourable and irrigation and fertilisation are done properly, farmers can easily profit from paddy cultivation.

The paddy farmers of Jashore are reaping good profits this year despite high input costs.

According to local farmers, cultivating one bigha (33 decimals) of land for paddy requires an investment of around Tk 12,000 to Tk 20,000, including irrigation, fertilisers, pesticides and labour. Water for irrigation from deep tube-wells costs Tk 2,000 per bigha, with an additional Tk 4,000 to Tk 6,000 spent on fertilisers and pesticides.

Seedlings and land preparation can cost Tk 1,000 to Tk 2,000, while harvesting expenses may reach up to Tk 3,000. In total, the cost per bigha can climb to Tk 20,000.

However, with paddy selling at Tk 1,200 to Tk 1,300 per maund (approximately 37 kg), each bigha yields 12 to 15 maunds, resulting in gross earnings of Tk 14,400 to Tk 19,500 per bigha-often leaving farmers with profits of up to Tk 5,000.

Farmers are finding this season particularly profitable due to favourable weather and high market prices.

With production costs mostly covered, many are using the profit for household expenses or to pay off previous loans.

Farmers of Bablur Rahman, Shahinur Rahman, Ali Hossain, Ajimuddin in Jashore's Sharsha, Jhikargacha, Manirampur, Bagharpara, and Keshabpur upazilas said that despite fears of losses earlier in the season due to rising input prices, they are now relieved. Fields are filled with mature, golden paddy ready for harvest. Local farmers like

Agricultural officers confirmed that both yield and quality were above average this season. Abdur Rashid, Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Jashore, said, "Around 0.25 million (2.5 lakh) tonnes of boro paddy have been harvested across 62,000 hectares. The average yield was 4.5 tonnes per hectare."

He added that farmers received proper support, and many used hybrid varieties that yielded more grain.