Black rice, valued for its nutrition, is being grown on trial for the first time in Durgapur upazila of Rajshahi. Because it sells for more and is in greater demand than ordinary rice, the new crop has stirred interest among local farmers and the agriculture department.
According to the upazila agriculture office, young entrepreneur Sohan of Debipur village in Durgapur municipality has planted it on 16 kathas, and farmer Abu Taleb of Pali village in Maria union on about two and a half bighas. The department is giving technical support on cultivation, yield and marketing, and sub-assistant agriculture officers Firoz Ahmed and Muminuzzaman are supervising the fields.
'Black rice is completely new in our area, so rather than take a risk I planted two and a half bighas on trial,' Abu Taleb told BSS. 'If the yield is good and the price is right, I can make a profit.'
Farmers estimate a yield of 16 to 18 maunds a bigha. At a likely price of Tk 4,000 a maund, sales could reach about Tk 64,000 to Tk 72,000 a bigha, though actual profit after costs will depend on the final yield and market price.
Upazila agriculture officer Sahana Parvin Laboni told BSS the first black rice crop in Durgapur is a positive step towards diversifying farming. The fields are being monitored regularly, and a decision on expanding the area will follow a review of this season's yield, costs and demand.
The Rajshahi region once grew mainly rain-fed aus and aman rice, and much of the high Barind land was single-cropped or fallow. Deep tubewells and modern irrigation later spread boro rice widely; black rice is the latest trial on that land.
Photo: Anna Frodesiak / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
Source: BSS
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