Rangpur, December 30, 2024 (BSS): The Rangpur agricultural region has achieved a record-breaking production of 1.987 million tons of clean Aman rice this season.

Despite facing drought-like conditions during the initial phase of planting, farmers in this region have achieved a bumper crop of this essential food grain. The price of coarse rice in the local markets has ranged from 1,280 to 1,350 Taka per mound (40 kg), with farmers expressing satisfaction with the results.

Officials from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) told BSS that by mid-December, harvesting had been completed in the 6,19,745 hectares of Aman rice fields across five districts in the region.

Farmers have produced 1.987 million tons of clean Aman rice (2.981 million tons of paddy) this season, exceeding the target of 1.917 million tons by 70,289 tons, or a 3.66% increase.

The Additional Director of the Rangpur Agricultural Region, Agriculturist Md. Obaidur Rahman Mondal, informed BSS that farmers in this region achieved the highest average yield of 3.21 tons of clean Aman rice per hectare (4.815 tons of paddy per hectare) this year.

The significant production boost is attributed to the cultivation of high-yielding and hybrid varieties of Aman rice on larger plots of land.

Previously, the Department of Agricultural Extension had set a target of producing 1.917 million tons of clean Aman rice (2.876 million tons of paddy) from 6,20,275 hectares of land in the five districts of the regi on.

Despite drought-like conditions at the beginning of the Aman rice cultivation season, enthusiastic farmers, with various forms of government support, planted Aman rice on 6,20,362 hectares of land, surpassing the planned target.

Agriculturist Rahman mentioned that, however, a late short-term flood caused damage to crops on 617 hectares of land. After the flood, the remaining 6,19,745 hectares of Aman rice fields saw a significant improvement in crop growth, leading to a bumper Aman rice harvest in the region.

After the completion of the harvest, farmers in the region produced a record 1.987 million tons of clean Aman rice. Last year, farmers harvested 1.863 million tons of clean Aman rice (2.795 million tons of paddy) from 6,15,981 hectares of land.

The agriculturist also mentioned that after the Aman harvest, farmers are now busy sowing seeds and maintaining crops for the upcoming rabi season, including potatoes, winter vegetables, and other rabi crops.

Farmers from various villages in Rangpur, such as Tariqul Islam, Mosharraf Hossain, Shah Alam, Sohorab Hossain, Manik Mia, Amirul Islam, and Solaiman Ali, shared with BSS that they had harvested good yields after finishing the Aman rice harvest a few weeks ago.

Mofizur Rahman, a farmer from Dolapara village in the Taraganj upazila, reported that this season he received a yield of 55 to 65 mounds per acre from coarse variety Aman rice.

He mentioned that the price of coarse Aman rice in local markets ranges from 1,280 to 1,350 Taka per mound, and the price of fine variety Aman rice ranges from 1,400 to 1,500 Taka per mound, making him and other farmers very happy.