Fast-yielding aman a lifesaver for farmers in lean period
Farmers in Nilphamari district of Rangpur division began harvesting their early-flowering aman paddy halfway through September, bringing a sense of festivity to the area.
Standard aman saplings are planted in the last week of August and the crop takes about three months to ripen, leaving farmers with little to do in the meantime.
And since paddy cultivation is the sole source of income for people in the region, many face a loss of income at this time.
Besides, marginal farmers face food shortages between September and November as they quickly run out of stocks of rice kept for consumption.
But fortunes have changed ever since Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) introduced early-flowering varieties of aman paddy that can be harvested during this period.
The BRRI invented several new varieties of the kitchen staple while certain private companies have imported some high-quality breeds.
The paddy harvesting season usually begins from mid-November, a good two months more than it takes to harvest the quick-growing varieties planted at the same time.
This year, farmers aim to cultivate aman paddy on 1.14 lakh hectares of land in Nilphamari, according to officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
Of the total amount of land brought under cultivation, the short-duration variety has been planted on nearly 25,000 hectares of land in the district. The area is highly suitable for the crop thanks to the availability of sandy alluvial and elevated soil that quickly drains rainwater.
In the past two years, about 18,000 hectares of land were used to cultivate the standard varieties while the quick-growing paddy was planted on 12,200 hectares.
The closeness of the quantities indicates that more farmers are now inclined to plant fast-flowering paddy.
"The short-duration aman paddy is cost effective as it needs less watering and attention after transplanting," said Rafiqul Islam, an agricultural extension officer of Nilphamari's sadar upazila.
After the fast-growing saplings are planted in mid-June, it takes only 90 days to 100 days to provide yields.
High-quality short-duration breeds such as Bina-17 provide an average yield of about 13.5 maunds to 16 maunds (one maund equals around 37 kilogrammes) per hectare while the standard varieties produce 18 maunds to 20 maunds.
Although standard paddy yields are comparatively higher than the short-duration varieties, the rice prices usually fluctuate due to weather conditions and other unforeseen consequences that affect production, Islam said.
So, in many cases, cultivators of standard paddy often incur losses since the plants need prolonged maintenance.
Besides, this makes it particularly difficult to ensure that production costs are met, especially in times such as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which brought their earnings to a halt, he added.
Giriza Prosonna, a farmer based in Ramnagar village of sadar upazila, said he produced 27 maunds of fast-flowering aman paddy from two bighas of land.
Selling each maund at a high price of about Tk 900, Prosonna earned around Tk 25,000 from the lot.
"This made me very happy as there is a price hike during the ongoing lean season," he added.
In addition, since the new varieties provide quick yields, farmers can cultivate potatoes varieties that can be harvested early on the same piece of land after reaping the paddy, said Shamim Hossain, owner of a large farm in Uttor Durakuti village of Kishoreganj upazila.
Quick yields coupled with availability of high prices after harvest and the opportunity to cultivate other crops are the main factors behind the increased popularity of fast-growing crops, according to various DAE officials and farmers.
During a visit to different paddy-producing villages, this correspondent found that farmers had an increased supply of straw to sell as fodder at high prices thanks to a scarcity of animal feed.
"Farmers adopt new cropping patterns to cultivate four main crops, including rice and potato, in a cycle each year," said Abu Bakar, deputy director of the district DAE.
So, the introduction of fast-growing paddy, potato, maize and other crops is slowly changing the country's traditional farming methods and subsequently, bringing change to the socio-economic scenario, he added.
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