Live perching method gains popularity in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI, Oct 25: Live perching method in cultivation is gaining popularity among the farmers of the district.
It is a farming method where farmers install poles of small tree branches or bamboos for attracting birds so that they can sit on the poles and eat up all the harmful insects of the crops field.
This method requires less cost than using pesticides and is environment-friendly.
There are two types of perching- dead and live. If farmers install pole of dead tree branch, it is called dead perching and if they install pole of live trees, it is called live perching. However, the live perching method is gaining popularity among the farmers in the district.
The farmers in different upazilas of the district have started using live perching method to check the pest attack in the crops fields. This method helps the farmers use less pesticide and saves cost. It is also environment-friendly where the farmers can produce chemical-free crop.  
According to sources at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Rajshahi, though the use of this method was less in the previous year but it has increased significantly this year. Many farmers of Darusha Dharmahata village in Paba upazila of the district have used the method.
This year the target of Aman paddy cultivation was set at 70,000 hectares, but the farmers cultivate more lands while around 12,000 ha of lands were affected by the recent flood, the sources said.
Farmers here planted four to five dhaincha trees per bigha of croplands and 13 to 14 trees per acre, the sources added.
While talking to The Daily Observer, Abdus Samad, a farmer of Nuria Khetra village in Mohanpur upazila of the district, said, "I cultivated Aman in one bigha of land this year. At the beginning, I had to spray pesticides but after some days I did not use pesticide again rather I planted dhaincha trees following the live perching method."
Another farmer Sabuj used pesticides in his Aman paddy field at Dingapara area under Paba upazila. Sabuj said he did wrong without applying live perching method this time but he will plant dhaincha trees across the paddy fields in future.
Officer of Paba Upazila DAE AKM Manjur Mawla said, "The live perching method is getting more popular among the farmers. In the current Transplanted Aman (T-Aman) season, the local farmers used this method."
Deputy Director of Rajshahi DAE Deb Dulal Dhali said, "Following the application of this method, birds are helping to control pests in paddy fields. Besides, the soil is getting enriched with nitrogen."
Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation including the agriculture department is working to increase the use of live perching method and encourage the farmers.