High yield, fair price make maize farmers happy
Lalmonirhat farmers are happy as they are getting ample production of maize and its fair prices in the local markets this year.
They are becoming more interested in maize farming due to less production cost and high profit.
Shamsul Islam, 55, a farmer at Islampur village under Patgram upazila, said he cultivated maize on 16 bighas of land this year, and has already harvested the crop from 12 bighas.
“I got 320 maunds of maize from 12 bighas, and have sold 100 maunds at Tk 410 per maund in the field,” Shamsul said, adding that he is expecting to get 120 to 130 maunds more from the rest four bighas.
Mafiz Uddin, 62, another farmer of the village, said it needs Tk 3,000 to Tk 4,000 to cultivate maize on one bigha and they can earn a profit of Tk 10,000 to Tk 12,000 by selling maize of the land. “Labour and maintenance costs of cultivating maize are low,” he added.
Farmer Soleman Miah, 48, of Fakirpara village at Hatibandha upazila, said maize is a profitable crop for them this time as they are not earning expected profit from paddy farming. A farmer can produce 24 to 32 maunds of maize on one bigha of land, he added.
The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said maize was cultivated on 26,000 hectares of land in five upazilas of the district this year though the target was only 18,000 hectares.
Safayet Hossain, deputy director of DAE in Lalmonirhat, said farmers are happy as they are getting bumper production of maize due to favourable weather condition, good seeds and timely supply of fertliser, diesel and other agricultural inputs. They are also earning expected profit in the local markets, he added.
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