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Farmers in the Rangpur agricultural region produced a record 16,27,141 tonnes of maize this year. Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) told BSS that all-time record output and profitable prices of maize have made farmers happy in five districts - Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Nilphamari, and Lalmonirhat.
Farmers are selling their harvested maize at rates between Taka 950 and Taka 1,050 per mound (every 40-kg), they added. Earlier, the DAE had fixed a target of producing 13,28,993 tonnes of maize from 1,17,043 hectares of land for the region during the last Rabi season.
Similarly, the DAE had fixed a target of producing 2,10,629 tonnes of maize from 21,903 hectares of land for the region during this Kharif-1 season. “Farmers finally cultivated maize on 20,592 hectares of land during the Kharif-1 season,” Agriculturist Islam said.
The government provided special incentives, high-yielding varieties of maize seeds and fertilizers, and the latest technologies to small, marginal, and flood-hit farmers to expand maize farming during both seasons.
“Many farmers have achieved financial solvency through maize cultivation in Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Nilphamari, and Lalmonirhat districts of the region in recent years,” he added.
Farmers Abdul Aziz and Mozammel Haque, Abu Taleb, and Golzar Hossain of different villages in Rangpur said they have got excellent yield of maize during this Kharif-1 season.
Md Mamunur Rashid, a PhD fellow at the Department of Agricultural Extension of Haji Mohammad Danesh University of Science and Technology, said, “Weather and soil are very suitable for maize cultivation. So, growers are interested to cultivate this cash crop. “
Farmers are reaping high profits from maize farming as there is a huge demand for the crop for poultry farming and other food industries.
Source: Online/GFMM
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