Boro acreage goes up on rising prices

Farmers have planted paddy on an increased area of land during the current boro season, encouraged by high prices of the staple food, agricultural officials and traders said yesterday.

Acreage of boro rice plantation stood at more than 48 lakh hectares, exceeding the preliminary estimate of 47.25 lakh made by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) for the ongoing season, said a senior official of the DAE.

“It appears that farmers have not left any place fallow during this boro cultivation season.

Because paddy becomes more profitable now than other crops such as potato,” said KM Layek Ali, general secretary of Bangladesh Auto Major and Husking Mills Association.

Prospect of a good crop is high if no natural calamity occurs in the remaining days till harvest of boro crop, starting from the end of April, he said.

 Favourable weather conditions and adequate input and water supply have supported planting operations, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nation's said last month.

“In addition, plantings have also been boosted by attractive paddy prices. Assuming normal weather conditions over the coming months, prospect for the 2018 boro rice are positive,” said FAO. Last year, boro rice was harvested from 44.75 lakh hectares of land after crops on 2.96 lakh hectares were damaged by flash floods in the northern and north eastern districts.

Overall production fell 4.87 percent year-on-year to 1.80 crore tonnes in 2016-17, according to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

The DAE earlier set a target of ensuring production of 1.90 crore tonnes of rice during the boro season, which accounts for 55 percent of the total annual rice output.

Nirod Boron Saha, president of Naogaon Dhan O Chal Arathdar Babshayee Samity, a rice wholesalers' and commission agents' association, said farmers in his region have planted long grains on more areas this season owing to higher prices. Despite optimism, prices of fine rice have risen marginally in the last one month.

Saha said there was a shortage of supply of long grains. Besides, stocks have also dwindled as the season nears to an end, he said.