KISHOREGANJ, Aug 24: In order to encourage more and more cultivation of Aus paddy, the government has decided to provide Tk 1,5,72,820 incentives in cash and kind to at least 7,200 small and marginal farmers in the district this year.
The programme has been launched with a view to keeping the environmental balance as well as to utilising the fallow lands at marginal level, according to the information of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Kishoreganj.
Additional Deputy Director (ADD) of Kishoreganj DAE Dr. Md. Saiful Islam said, the farmers of Kishoreganj Sadar upazila will enjoy the maximum benefits in the declared incentive but the farmers of other seven upazilas out of 13 in the district will also get the benefits.
He also informed, "There are about 26,875 hectares of land suitable for Aus paddy farming in Kishoreganj. Due to consecutive natural calamity for the last few years, 16,140 ha of lands were brought under Aus paddy cultivation last year."
He further said, "A target was fixed to cultivate Aus on 26,614 ha of lands in eight upazilas of the district with a production target of 66,842 metric tons of rice. But the Aus cultivators brought a total of 23,600 ha of lands under the cultivation this year."
According to the instruction underlined in the scheme of the DAE, only one farmer per bigha will be eligible for the incentive. These incentives are being provided among the farmers throughout the country for cultivating Aus paddy of Ufshi and Nerica varieties.
As per the instruction, each farmer here for Ufshi cultivation will get five kg Aus paddy seeds of Ufshi variety, 20 kg urea fertiliser, 10 kg Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) fertiliser, 10 kg Muriate of Potash (MOP) fertiliser, and cash Tk 400 for irrigation cost.
On the other hand, each cash farmer for Nerica cultivation will get 10 kg Aus paddy seeds of Nerica variety, 20 kg urea fertiliser, 10 kg DAP, 10 kg MOP fertiliser, cash Tk 400 for irrigation cost and Tk 400 for weeding.
Distribution of incentives was completed successfully, said Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer (SAAO) of the DAE Md. Emdadul Islam Sumon.
