Around 4.57 lakh tonnes maize expected in Rajshahi division

Around 4.57 lakh tonnes of maize are expected to be produced from 49,482 hectares of land in all eight districts under Rajshahi division during the current Rabi season. Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has set the target of producing around 2.58 lakh tonnes of maize from 28,491 hectares of land in four districts of Rajshahi Agricultural Zone while 1.98 lakh tonnes from 20,991 hectares of land in four other districts of Bogura Agricultural Zone.

Deb Dulal Dhali, Additional Director of DAE, here said diversified steps including distribution of incentives among farmers besides need-based training for them were adopted to attain the production target. He said 42,500 small and marginal farmers were given seeds and fertilizers worth around Taka 5.73 crore free of cost for the maize farming under the government’s agricultural incentive programme.

Meanwhile, maize farming has been gaining popularity as many people are seen humming towards the cash crop farming as it has been giving them better yield and lucrative market price in the region including its vast Barind tract for the last couple of years. Dr Shakhawat Hossain, Senior Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI), told the BSS that maize cultivation both in rabi and kharif seasons in the region has been increasing gradually as the farmers are showing more interest to this crop cultivation.

He said there was no scarcity of seeds this time as huge quantities of the same were distributed among the farmers and they timely completed sowing of maize seeds. Principal Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute (BWMRI) Dr Ilias Hossain said maize is being used in preparation of various nutritional foods like corn-well, corn-flex, poultry and animal feed and fodder and in several industrial products as well. The demand for the crop is on the rise with the increase of the poultry and dairy farms as it contains huge Vitamin-A, he pointed out.

Around 4.57 lakh tonnes maize expected in Rajshahi division

Around 4.57 lakh tonnes of maize are expected to be produced from 49,482 hectares of land in all eight districts under Rajshahi division during the current Rabi season. Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has set the target of producing around 2.58 lakh tonnes of maize from 28,491 hectares of land in four districts of Rajshahi Agricultural Zone while 1.98 lakh tonnes from 20,991 hectares of land in four other districts of Bogura Agricultural Zone. Deb Dulal Dhali, Additional Director of DAE, here said diversified steps including distribution of incentives among farmers besides need-based training for them were adopted to attain the production target. He said 42,500 small and marginal farmers were given seeds and fertilizers worth around Taka 5.73 crore free of cost for the maize farming under the governments agricultural incentive programme. Meanwhile, maize farming has been gaining popularity as many people are seen humming towards the cash crop farming as it has been giving them better yield and lucrative market price in the region including its vast Barind tract for the last couple of years. Dr Shakhawat Hossain, Senior Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI), told the BSS that maize cultivation both in rabi and kharif seasons in the region has been increasing gradually as the farmers are showing more interest to this crop cultivation. He said there was no scarcity of seeds this time as huge quantities of the same were distributed among the farmers and they timely completed sowing of maize seeds. Principal Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute (BWMRI) Dr Ilias Hossain said maize is being used in preparation of various nutritional foods like corn-well, corn-flex, poultry and animal feed and fodder and in several industrial products as well. The demand for the crop is on the rise with the increase of the poultry and dairy farms as it contains huge Vitamin-A, he pointed out.