Farmers in Dinajpur have planted aman on 1,480 hectares more than the target this season, bringing the total to 273,750 hectares. Md Afzal Hossain, deputy director of the district Department of Agricultural Extension, confirmed the figures to BSS on Monday.

The target was 272,270 hectares: 237,720 of high-yielding varieties, 25,350 of hybrids and 9,200 of local varieties. The extra area is 1,000 hectares of high-yielding rice and 480 of hybrids. The season's production target is about 8 lakh tonnes of rice.

Among the district's 13 upazilas the largest targets were Dinajpur Sadar at 25,520 hectares, Chirirbandar at 24,900, Biral at 24,700, Birganj at 24,650 and Nawabganj at 24,350.

The deputy director said favourable weather from the start of the season and enough rain mean the fields are not short of water, and with the monsoon over there is no longer a flood risk. After inspecting fields in several upazilas from 24 to 27 September he expects a bumper yield. Barring natural disaster, early varieties will be cut from mid-Kartik, with harvesting and threshing through the whole of Agrahayan.

Naren Chandra Roy of Tetulia village in Chirirbandar has planted two and a half acres, two of high-yielding rice and 50 decimals of hybrid. So far there is no disease in his field, he said, and he is tending it himself in hope of a good crop. Md Rafiqul Islam of Auliapur in Sadar upazila hopes the district's paddy will meet local needs and more.

Agriculture office sources said half of the paddy grown in the district used to feed the district itself. With good boro and aman harvests expected this year, they hope more than half of the rice can go to other districts.

The report is by BSS's Dinajpur correspondent.

Photo: BSS

Source: BSS