Aman Ullah:
The district has set a target of cultivating maize on 672 hectares of land in the Rabi season. So far, 230 hectares have been cultivated. If everything goes well, 5,712 metric tons of maize can be produced. Last year, maize was cultivated on 514 hectares of land. As a result, farmers in the district believe that the yield will double this year compared to last year.
According to information provided by farmers, 40-45 maunds of maize are produced per bigha of land. The cost per bigha is 8-10 thousand taka. Accordingly, the income per bigha of this crop is 30-35 thousand taka. The Agriculture Department said that maize cultivation is increasing day by day due to high profit with low cost. The livelihood of the majority of people in the district depends on agriculture. Every year, various types of crops are cultivated in the fertile soil of the district. Among them, maize has become one of them. Once upon a time, the fate of thousands of farmers in the district depended on rice cultivation. But the pattern of agricultural cultivation has changed with the times. Farmers have become interested in corn cultivation due to its low cost and short harvest time.
Agriculture officials say that rice, wheat, mustard, jute, garlic, onion, chilli, ginger and turmeric are playing a leading role in the country’s economy. Now, due to the high profit at low cost, corn cultivation has been newly added to the economy. The life and livelihood of farmers is changing. Corn flour has been added to the food list of people. In addition, there is a demand for corn as feed for cattle, poultry and fish. Farmers say that one kani or 40th of acre of land requires about 2 kg of seeds. Corn can be cultivated beautifully even in a small area. The cost is very low and the profit is high.
According to the information provided by the Agriculture Department, the target area for corn cultivation in Sherpur in the last Rabi season was 514 hectares. At that time, the amount of cultivable land increased by 158 hectares to 672 hectares. The highest amount of maize is cultivated in Teknaf in the district. This season, 230 hectares of land have been earmarked for cultivation. Last year, 225 hectares were cultivated in Teknaf. 85 hectares in Chakaria and 70 hectares in Ramu upazila. The concerned people say, ‘The government is giving incentives to many farmers for maize cultivation. Besides, many farmers are also getting incentives for field exhibitions.
Under the incentive, each farmer has been given two kg of maize seeds, 20 kg of DAP (DAP fertilizer) and 10 kg of MOP (potash) fertilizer free of cost. Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension, Bimal Kumar Pramanik said, the cultivation of maize is increasing every year in the district. All kinds of cooperation including seeds and fertilizers are being provided to the farmers to increase their interest in maize cultivation. Even technical assistance is being provided to control diseases.
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