The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) is distributing T-Aman rice seedling prepared on community seedbeds among 12,241 flood-affected farmers of three flood-affected districts in Rangpur agriculture region, reports BSS.
The specially prepared T-Aman rice seedling on community seedbeds are being distributed among flood-hit farmers of Kurigram, Gaibandha and Lalmonirhat districts free of costs for re-transplantation on their one bigha of land each.
“We have prepared the seedling on 202 community seedbeds with one acre of land each spending Taka 80.90 lakh allocated by the government,” Additional Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office here Agriculturist Md Moniruzzaman told BSS.
The DAE has prepared the community seedbeds under the government’s massive post-flood agri-rehabilitation programmes to provide T-Aman rice seedling to farmers for cultivation of the crop on their submerged croplands after recession of floodwater.
Of them, 100 community seedbeds have been prepared on 100 acres of land each in Kurigram and Gaibandha districts and two community seedbeds on two acres of land in Lalmonirhat district for the purpose.
“The local public representatives, officials of the district and upazila administrations and DAE are distributing the prepared T-Aman rice seedling after three weeks of sowing seed among the flood-hit farmers of these three districts,” Moniruzzaman added.
Talking to BSS, Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Mohammad Ali said the government adopted the newer concept of preparing T-Aman seedling on community seedbeds to distribute those among local flood-hit farmers.
“A total of 12,241 flood-affected farmers of local communities are getting the specially prepared T-Aman rice seedling on community seedbeds in three districts in a hassle-free manner and without moving here and there,” Ali said.
Under the programme, 6,060 flood-affected farmers of Kurigram and Gaibandha each and 121 flood-affected farmers of Lalmonirhat are getting the prepared T-Aman rice seedling on community seedbeds.
Besides, 1,251 more flood-affected farmers of these three districts are getting T-Aman rice seedling prepared by different agriculture-related government organisations on their own installations in Rangpur, Gaibandha and Nilphamari districts.
“The DAE, Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) and Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) have prepared these seedbeds of late variety T-Aman rice on about 20 hectares of land spending Taka 13.35 lakh,” Ali said.
The authorities concerned are distributing these prepared T-Aman rice seedling among 1,181 flood-hit farmers of Kurigram, Gaibandha and Lalmonirhat districts for re-transplantation on one bigha of land each.
“In addition, the DAE is distributing T-Aman rice seedling prepared on 280 floating seedbeds in all five districts of the region spending Taka 3.82 lakh among 70 flood-hit farmers for re-transplantation on one bigha of land each,” Ali added.
He said farmers have already transplanted T-Aman rice seedling on 5.68 lakh hectares of land, 89.45 percent of the fixed farming target on 6.35-lakh hectares of land to produce 18.08-lakh tonnes of clean rice for all five districts in the region this season.
