Boro harvesting gains momentum in Dinajpur with bumper yield expected

Farmers across the thirteen upazilas of the district have begun harvesting Iri-Boro paddy in full swing amid expectations of a bumper production, with the widespread use of modern harvesting machines accelerating crop collection this season.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said favourable weather conditions, timely cultivation and increased mechanisation have contributed to excellent crop conditions in the district.

Deputy Director of the DAE, Md Afzal Hossain, said farmers had been busy harvesting and threshing paddy for the past week as early varieties matured in the fields.

"The condition of the crop at the final stage is very good. Compared to last year, a bumper production of Iri-Boro paddy has been achieved this season," he said.

According to DAE sources, nearly 15% of the paddy had been harvested and threshed by yesterday.

Agriculture officials said the use of modern harvesting technology has significantly reduced farmers' dependence on manual labour during the peak harvesting period.

Over the past two years, around 1,500 modern paddy harvesting machines were distributed among farmers in the district at 50% subsidised prices.

These machines can harvest and thresh paddy simultaneously on nearly 50 acres of land daily, enabling farmers to complete harvesting quickly and at a lower cost.

Afzal Hossain said farmers can now harvest, thresh and bag paddy directly from the fields within a short time, making the process more efficient and economical.

Besides combine harvesters, farmers are also using various modern small and large-scale agricultural machines for harvesting and threshing, helping speed up crop collection across the district.

Favourable weather is also assisting farmers in drying straw easily in the fields after threshing. Farmers said the straw has strong demand as cattle feed and provides additional income after meeting household needs.

Farmers Abdur Rahim and Ziaul Islam of Machimpur village under Dinajpur Sadar Upazila said they had already started harvesting ripe paddy from their fields.

"With modern machines, we can harvest and bring home the rice within a very short time," they said.

Upazila Agriculture Officer Arzina Begum said most paddy fields in the area had ripened and harvesting activities were progressing rapidly.

"I visited several Iri-Boro fields and found farmers actively harvesting and threshing paddy. The ripe crops can now be brought home quickly," she said.

The Agriculture Department has advised farmers to complete harvesting and threshing before any possible natural disaster affects the crop. Field-level agricultural workers are continuing to assist and motivate farmers to finish harvesting by May.

Deputy Director (Training and Crops) of the Dinajpur Agricultural Extension Department, Md Mostafizur Rahman, said a cultivation target of 172,250 hectares had been fixed for Iri-Boro cultivation this season in the district.

However, farmers exceeded the target by cultivating paddy on an additional 2,450 hectares, raising the total cultivated area to 174,700 hectares.

The district initially set a production target of around 830,000 metric tons of rice, but officials now expect output to reach nearly 850,000 metric tons due to favourable weather and improved farming technologies.