Bagha farmers expect bumper wheat, lentil production

Rajshahi: The farmers of Bagha upazila in the district are expecting bumper yield of wheat and lentil this year.

They have cultivated more land than that of the previous year after getting abundant output of the crops last year.
 
If the weather conditions remain favourable till the harvest, the farmers here will achieve a bumper production this year as well, upazila agriculture office sources said.

In the wake of incurring enormous losses caused by Aman paddy cultivation, many farmers have switched to wheat and lentil this year and they brought more lands under the cultivation than the target fixed by Department of Agriculture Extension, hoping to have an optimal output, local sources said.

According to the information of upazila agriculture office that the farmers here cultivated wheat on 7,000 hectors of land in this year that was 1000 hectares more than the previous year. The production target was set at 3 metric tons in per hectare of land.

They have cultivated different varieties of wheat including Sonali, Bijoy, Pradip, Saurav, and Gourab. Among them, Pradip and Bijoy varieties were cultivated on more lands.

Besides, the farmers here cultivated lentil on around 4,000 hectares of land in this current year. And farmers are now expecting bumper wheat and lentil production in this year, sources added.
 
During a recent visit, this correspondent found that the farmers are passing very busy time in taking care of wheat and lentil fields. They are spraying pesticides, using fertilisers and irrigating in the fields as well.
 
Talking to The Daily Observer, Sekendar Ali, a wheat grower of Padma River bank area, said that he cultivated five bighas of land in this year. He got 22 maunds of wheat from per bigha of land in the previous year. If any weather conditions remain favourable, he will be able to achieve a bumper wheat production in this year, he hopped.

Abdur Razzak of Barkhadia village of the upazila said that he cultivated wheat and lentil in his two bighas of land in this year. Now he is passing very busy time in taking proper care of his wheat and lentil fields.

 The growth of plants is also very well. He is also expecting a bumper production in this year, he added.  
Agriculture Officer of the upazila Sabina Begum said that the farmers here brought more land under wheat cultivation as they got fair prices of their produce in the last year. They have exceeded the targeted lands in this year. In the same way, they have cultivated lentil in more lands than the previous year.

The soil of this upazila is very fertile and favourable for any type of crop cultivation; she also said adding “Our agriculture officers are regularly advising framers to help them achieve a bumper production. I hope the farmers will be able to achieve bumper wheat and lentil production in this year”.

CORRS/MTK/NS