BAGERHAT — A farmer in Fakirhat upazila of Bagerhat has produced 221 maunds of rice from four bighas of land using just 21 kilograms of seed this Boro season, worth about 350,000 taka, agriculture officials said.
The farmer, Mostafa Hasan, has cultivated the golden-hued grain — the latest variety developed by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, BRRI-108 — for the first time in the upazila.
Hasan, an amateur farmer, said he found out about the variety on YouTube and traveled to Sherpur on his own to buy 21 kilograms of seed at 300 taka per kg. He spent about 40,000 taka on labor, plowing, fertilizer, pesticides and irrigation for the four bighas. The variety’s strong disease resistance and drought tolerance kept his costs low from seedling to harvest, he said. Reduced fertilizer needs and strong market demand should bring him a high profit.
Planted in January, the crop is already ripe. Sample cutting on one decimal of land yielded 45 kilograms of rice. He said field-level prices are 1,600 taka per maund. The rest of the rice will be harvested within a day or two, Hasan said.
Sheikh Sakhawat Hossain, upazila agriculture officer of Fakirhat, said the office has asked Hasan for 20 maunds of rice as seed.
On Sunday morning, many farmers visited Hasan’s field in the Bahirdia block of the upazila to see the crop. Upazila agriculture officers and sub-assistant plant-protection officers were on hand to advise them.
Nayan Sen, sub-assistant plant-protection officer, said the golden BRRI-108 variety is being cultivated for the first time in this upazila and probably in the district as well. The grain is medium-long and slim, the rice is fluffy and tasty, and it was developed as an alternative to high-priced Jeera rice. Lower production costs and high prices have already created strong demand for the variety, he said.
Hasan and his farmhand, Rahmat Faqir, said they expect a profit of about 300,000 taka after all costs from cultivating BRRI-108 on 4 bighas and 5 decimals. Many farmers are showing interest in the variety after this first successful harvest in the area, they said, and Hasan plans to help them. He said the agriculture department has provided regular advice and technical support.
Sheikh Sakhawat Hossain said BRRI-108 is the most advanced variety developed by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute. Yields are higher than other varieties, with each clump producing an average of 16 to 17 tillers. Grain plumpness is 88.6 percent, and the rice contains 8.8 percent protein, more than other varieties and more nutritious.
He said the agriculture office plans to collect seed from this field officially in order to distribute the variety to other farmers in the upazila.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report