Aus rice seed has been grown on fallow land at the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) foundation seed potato farm in Domar upazila, Nilphamari. Aus rice was grown on 300 acres of the farm, which was set up only to produce seed potatoes, and the authorities hope to produce 400 tonnes of foundation rice seed from it.

Those involved say that amount of seed can plant Aus on 40,000 acres. In addition, 60–70 tonnes of non-seed rice will be obtained, with a market value of more than Tk 2 crore. The farm is a specialised BADC facility on 650 acres for producing foundation seed potatoes. Every year after the potato crop, wheat was grown on a limited scale, and the land then lay fallow for a long time.

For the past two years, several rice varieties have been grown on this fallow land to produce Aus foundation seed. Farming the idle land is easing the shortage of drought-tolerant Aus seed and creating work for farm labourers who are otherwise jobless between the Boro and Aman seasons. It also brings the farm extra income from an off-season crop.

Subrata Majumder, assistant director of the farm, told Jago News: "The farm's land used to produce two crops a year, foundation seed potatoes and wheat. Now that Aus seed rice has been added, it produces three crops a year. Harvesting and threshing of the ripe rice is now under way."

Agriculturist Abu Taleb Mia, deputy director of the farm, told Jago News: "Growing seed potatoes on the farm continuously is increasing various diseases. Growing potatoes on the land after Aus will reduce bacterial diseases, and it will also ease the shortage of quality Aus seed. In the 2020-21 Aus season, an Aus seed production programme was taken up on 187 acres of land that had been lying completely fallow, then on 240 acres in the 2021 season and on 255 acres of the BRRI dhan98 variety in the 2022 season. In the current Aus season, a BRRI dhan98 seed programme has been carried out on 300 acres."

He said: "The notable thing about Aus rice is that it can be harvested within just 80 days of transplanting between 15 and 20 April. The whole cycle from seed to seed takes 103 to 105 days. At farm level, maize is now one of the most profitable Rabi crops. After maize the land lies fallow until Aman is transplanted, and that gap can be used for Aus. Instead of leaving the land idle, growing Aus in just 80 days can produce 15–17 maunds of rice per bigha, after which Aman rice and potatoes can still be grown in the short term."

He added: "Rice production on the farm's 300 acres this Aus season has been fully mechanised. Seed rice is being harvested with combine harvesters, graded with grain-grading machines and then stored. Besides, 60–70 tonnes of seed rice will be obtained. At Tk 50,000 a tonne of seed rice, the sale value is more than Tk 2 crore. Off-season rice farming has provided work for 200 to 300 labourers in the area."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.