Wide fields across Sirajganj are covered in green. Aman rice plants ripple like waves in the wind, their green leaves and young panicles swaying, and within a few days milk grains will start to form. Farmers see their dreams swaying with the panicles of transplanted aman.

The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) says favourable weather, close care by farmers and timely use of fertiliser and pesticide have both farmers and the department hoping for a bumper aman crop this year.

According to the district agricultural extension office, the target for transplanted aman in the district's nine upazilas this season was 72,630 hectares: 1,575 hectares of hybrid varieties, 66,325 hectares of high-yielding varieties and 4,730 hectares of local varieties.

In a few days the green plants and young panicles will turn yellow, and then field after field will glow with golden grain. Farmers in the region are looking forward to filling their empty granaries.

There were some shortages of uninterrupted electricity, fertiliser, seed and pesticide this year, but timely rain helped farmers overcome them. The crops look healthy, with strong seedlings and panicles, so a bumper yield is expected if there is no natural disaster.

A recent visit to Karnasuti village in Jamtoil union, Kamarkhanda upazila, found transplanted aman fields full of green. Farmers were busy from morning to evening tending their crops: irrigating, applying fertiliser and pesticide, weeding, and in some cases using perching.

Local farmer Enamul Hoque said that with help and advice from the agriculture office, this year's aman is better than last year's. Harvesting will start towards the end of next month, he said, and then their dream will come true.

Abu Bakkar Siddique, Nurul Islam, Abdur Razzak and many other farmers in Karnasuti said they expect a bumper crop and, barring a natural disaster, a better yield than in past years. Another farmer, Golam Hossain, said fertiliser and pesticide had been applied twice, and the look of the plants suggests a good yield. If the government ensures a fair price, farmers will profit, he said.

Kamarkhanda upazila agriculture officer Anwar Sadat told Jagonews that they were working in the field to achieve a bumper aman yield and higher production, and the crop was doing well. Aman was cultivated on 5,660 hectares in the upazila this year.

Bablu Kumar Sutradhar, deputy director of the DAE in Sirajganj, told Jagonews that the target for transplanted aman in the district's nine upazilas this season was 72,630 hectares, while 74,115 hectares were actually planted. Sub-assistant agriculture officers are giving farmers every help to get a good yield, he said.

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