Farmers busy farming advance IRRI-Boro paddy in Barishal

 BARISHAL, Jan 23: In different upazilas of the district, advance IRRI-Boro paddy cultivation is going on in full swing.
Local sources said, farmers are passing busy time in planting activities in upazilas of the district. In particular, planting of IRRI-Boro saplings is taking place in a large scale in Agailjhara Upazila.
Scorching severe cooling in the morning, farmers are continuing their seasonal farming in a hope to ensure better yield and produce increased production, growing sources said.
Compared to the last year, increased number of farmers have started cultivated IRRI-Boro in the upazila.
According to farmers, if fertiliser supply, power supply and irrigation go uninterrupted, bumper production is possible this year.
Bumper production is expected if weather remains favourable, sources at Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said.
Of total arable land in the upazila, hybrid paddy will be cultivated in 8,800 hectares (ha), and hi-yielding (Ufsi) species of Boro will be planted in 500 ha. Advance Boro has been farmed in 450 ha.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Dolon Chandra Ray said, this Boro season about 9,300 ha in five unions of the upazila have been targeted for IRRI-Boro cultivation with the production target of 50,450 metric tons (MT) rice. The production target included 48,400 MT hybrid and 2,050 MT Ufsi rice.
A total of 91 farmers have been provided with seeds of mustard, maize, yellow lentil, red lentil, grass pea, potato and sugarcane.
Besides, different seeds including paddy seed have been provided to 4,325 farming families in five unions of the upazila under rehabilation and incentive programmes.