Southern region farmers switching to maize farming

Higher profit at relatively lower production expenditure is shifting attention of the farmers in the southern region away to farming of maize from other crops.
Apart from cultivation of the cereal item being cost-effective, the cereal item is selling at better prices in the local markets compared to other crops.
Sources concerned said farmers of the southern districts started cultivating maize on salty soil of the coastal region in 2012 on a test basis.
They became motivated in cultivating the crop after achieving good yield.
This year, some 1,200 farmers, including 200 female ones, cultivated maize on 650 hectares of land in four upazilas-- Sadar, Kachua, Morelganj and Fakirhat--of Bagerhat.
Brac, an NGO, is encouraging farmers of the district in maize farming and providing them with all-out support for this.
While visiting maize fields in different areas recently, this correspondent of the news agency found that growers were passing very busy time with not only harvesting but also threshing maize.
Maize fields at different places were giving very captivating looks.
The growers said they had got bumper yield of maize this year cultivating it on their lands.
Farmer Saidur Rahman of Shialkathi village in Kachua upazila in Bagerhat said he cultivated maize on his one acre of land this year.
He spent Tk 16,000-17,000 in the cultivation and now hopes to get profit of Tk 50,000 by selling the crop.
He expressed gratitude to Brac, saying that the NGO had provided financial and technical support to him.
Another grower Alamgir Hossain said he had no idea that maize could be grown on salty land. However, being encouraged by the success of other farmers, he cultivated the crop on his one acre of land this year and is expecting to get 70-80 maunds of yield.
Alamgir said he hoped to make more profit as the maize corns were being sold at good prices.
A female farmer, Rehena Begum, said she farmed maize on one acre of land after receiving training on the crop cultivation.
Panna Khatun, programme officer of Brac, Kachua upazila, said they were providing all kinds of support to the farmers from crop plantation to harvesting.
Maruf Parvez, Brac's representative in Bagerhat, said in addition to different technical supports, they provided Tk 5,000 as financial assistance to each of the maize growers.
He added farmers required Tk 17,000 to cultivate maize on one acre of land and they might get 75-80 muands of crop per acre if weather remained favourable.
Thus they can earn profit of Tk 60,000-70,000 by cultivating the cereal item on one acre of land.
Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Bagerhat, Hirendranath Hawlader said cultivation of maize began late in November and it could be harvested within four months of planting.