Bumper wheat yield expected in Jessore, Narail
Farmers reap wheat at a profusely yielding field at Bhadulidanga village in Narail district. A bumper production of the crop is expected in Narail and Jessore districts this season, much to the happiness of the farmers amid its good market price.Photo: STAR
Farmers and agronomists are expecting a bumper production of wheat in Jessore and Narail districts in this season. Good temperature and easy availability of water have helped wheat plants to grow well in the sandy-loamy soil in this area, DAE officials said. This season, about 6,480 hectares of land have been bought under wheat cultivation in the two district (Jessore-3730 hectares, Narail-2750 hectares) while the target was 7,913 hectares to produce 22,157 tonnes (Jessore-13,779 tonnes, Narail-8,378 tonnes) of wheat, Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said. The production target is likely to exceed much as farmers are expecting to get 31 to 32 maunds (one maund = 37.5 kg) of wheat per acre (100 decimals) of land and harvesting has already started in different areas, DAE sources said. Farmers in different areas of the two districts said they faced trouble in collecting quality seeds at the beginning of the season as Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation failed to supply sufficient amount of seeds but they overcame the situation by using locally preserved seeds and buying seeds from private companies at higher rates. Wheat cultivation is gaining popularity in Jessore and Narail districts due to its increasing demand, good prices, easy cultivation process and lower production cost than that of IRRI-Boro paddy, said farmers and DAE officials. "Wheat cultivation requires only three times irrigation. It is easier and more profitable than paddy cultivation. Production cost of wheat on per acre of land is Tk 11,000 at the maximum while it needs around Tk 18,000 to cultivate IRRI-Boro crops," said Fotiq Mukherjee, 41, of Shighasolpur union in Narail Sadar upazila. Dr Sunil Kumar Roy, regional project manager of Second Crop Diversification Project in Jessore region, said favourable weather conditions, adequate supply of necessary fertilisers and pesticides and sufficient training are the reasons behind the bumper production of wheat. Farmers are getting more interested to cultivate wheat due to its growing demand and less cultivation cost than paddy, Narail Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer GM Ruhul Amin said. The farmers of Jessore and Narail districts mostly use shatabdi, prodeep, shourav, gourab and bijoy varieties of wheat seeds, DAE sources said.
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