JOYPURHAT, Sept 18: The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) is expecting to produce over 0.5 million tonnes of T-Aman output this season in the district.
More than 0.1 million peasants of Akkelpur, Kalai, Khetlal, Panchbibi and Sadar upazilas of the district are growing the paddy.
Mild healthy plants are growing well across the district, said sub-assistance agriculture officer of DAE Azizur Rahman.
"We are providing necessary suggestion among the farmers to make the programme a success", he added.
DAE sources said over 0.1 million hectares of land have been brought under the farming of T-Aman in the district this season.
In a recent visit this correspondent found that farmers were working hard in their paddy field from morning to evening.
They also look to make a good profit.
But some of e growers alleged that they are suffering for shortage of irrigation water.
"I have cultivated T-Aman paddy on 10 bighas of land spending approximately Tk 90,000 this season", said farmer Monowar Hossain of Khetlal upazila.
"I am expecting to make over Tk 0.2 million as profit paying production cost", he added.
Deputy Director of DAE Sudhindranath Roy said the district has immense prospect to grow the profitable T-Aman paddy."
Our Naogaon correspondent adds: Spread of bacterial leaf blight disease in T-Aman field has become a matter of concern for thousands of farmers in Raninagar upazila in the district.
This year the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) had set a target of T-Aman cultivation on 15,450 hectares of land in the upazila with an expectation of bumper production, said DAE sources.
Visiting different areas of Paril, Kaligram, Bargacha and Ekdala unions of Raninagar upazila few days ago, the newsmen saw Aman paddy fields attacked with the disease.
The fields of BR-11, BR-49 and Shwarna varieties of paddy are more affected while BINA 7, BR-51 and BR-52 paddy fields have remained relatively safe.
Farmer Dulal Hossain of Singarpara village said he cultivated Aman on 2.25 acres of land. Of them, around one-third of his cropland has been affected by the BLB disease.
Following suggestions from field level agriculture officers, he is spraying anti-fungus medicine in their cropland but it appears ineffective as more croplands have been attacked with the diseases.
According to DAE sources, at least 50 hectares of paddy land in the Upazila were attacked by BLB disease but farmer said the affected area would be much larger.
Upazila agriculture officer Shahidul Islam said, "BLB was seen in some paddy fields in last one or two weeks. The situation is now under control and the condition of the crops on the land is being normal with the change of weather marked by rainfall."
Field-level sub-assistant agriculture officers are monitoring the fields and suggesting the farmers to apply fungus preventive medicine and potash fertiliser for the protection of Aman paddy from the disease, he said.
