RAJSHAHI, Apr 05: The cultivation of maize in increasing in Rajshahi district as it is more profitable than cultivation of other crops.
According to the farmers and agriculturists in Rajshahi, the maize has a wide range of use as poultry feed and as fish feed. Moreover, a lot of people also consume maize as an alternative food. Due to its wide demand, maize is also imported from abroad. The increasing demand of the crop is also a cause of expanding its farming.
In Rajshahi region, maize is usually cultivated during summer season (Karip-1 season). Concerned sources informed, after harvesting potato after the Rabi crop season, the maize is cultivated in that field. As the potato field remained ready and the soil contained traces of fertiliser applied earlier in the potato field, no further ploughing of land and no applying of extra fertiliser is required in a maize field.
Only one or two irrigation is required for the land which also decreased the cultivation cost of the crop. If the yield is good, 20 to 25 maunds of maize is harvested from a bigha of land. In each bigha of cultivation, the cost is Tk 4,000 to Tk 5,000. At the present market rate, a maund of maize is being sold at Tk 700 to Tk 800. The farmers are getting considerable profit by cultivating the maize.
Anowar Hossain, a farmer of Duray area under Paba upazila informed he cultivated maize in five bighas of land. If the climate remained favourable, he was expecting a good yield of maize. He further informed, the crop being profitable, many farmers were being inclined to cultivate maize in their field.
AKM Monjur-e-Maula, Paba upazila Agriculture Officer informed, maize being profitable, many farmers were now being interested to cultivate the crop. As a result, cultivation of the crop is being increased in Rajshahi region day to day. He further informed, during the current season, the target for cultivation of maize in the upazila has been fixed at 3,500 hectares of land and already 2,000 hectares of land have been cultivated. He expressed the hope that the cultivation would surpass the target this year.
According to Rajshahi Agriculture extension sources, during the Kharip-1 season, a total of 9,762 hectares of land has been targeted to cultivate maize. Already more than 3,000 hectares have been cultivated. He further informed during 2017 maize was cultivated on 9,640 hectares of land in Rajshahi.
