According to local sources, the Aush cultivation has increased in the upazila. It is increasing yearly.
According to sources, at the agriculture offices at Dacope and Batiaghata, this season Aush has been cultivated on 612 bighas of fallow land. This included 35 bighas of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI). In these two upazilas, thousands of bighas of land would remain uncultivated after Robi crops. Now these are being brought under Aush cultivation. Under BRRI’s ACIR project, upazila agriculture department, BRRI and Irrigation and Water Management Department jointly provided fertiliser and Aush seeds among farmers. A Batiaghata farmer Kabir Hossain Khan said, “Earlier after lifting crops, Aman lands would remain fallow. According to advice of Shariful Islam Bhai of BRRI, I have cultivated BRRI-48 on 2.5 bighas at a cost of about Tk 10,000. My yield has been very good. I have started to cut. I hope to get 35-40 maunds per bigha.”
A Khalisa area farmer at Dacope Mozaffor Hossain said, he has cultivated BRRI-48 and 98 on two bighas. His yield has also been good. Yet rats are damaging his fields, he added.
BRRI sources said, they will purchase per maund Aush paddy at Tk 1,000. It will benefit farmers.
Batiaghata Upazila Agriculture Officer Abu Nakkar Siddiq said, BRRI-48 has yielded most in different areas of the upazila.
Senior Scientific Officer of BRRI Polash Kumar Kundu said, 650 kilogram seeds of BRRI-49 and 98 species and fertilizers were given to 160 farmers at Batiaghata.
But most saplings died of excessive drought and salinity, he added. Despite that 35 bighas of 16 farmers in Dacope and Batiaghata upazilas have been protected. He further said, these fields have yielded bumper.
Already Aush crop on demonstration plot has been cut at Batiaghata on the field day, he maintained.
The field day function was attended by sub-assistant agriculture officers, union members and 120 farmers.
