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Aman cultivation fails to achieve target this year

From Our Correspondent
BOGRA. Aug 31 : Target of transplanted aman paddy cultivation in the northern districts has not been achieved this year due to unprecedented drought.
The cultivation target of aman paddy in the 16 districts of northern region during the current season was fixed at 39 lakh acres of land but only 32 lakh acres have been brought under the cultivation.
Though it is rainy season, there has not been sufficient rainfall in the region this year It rains here with an interval of about 10 to 15 days and. as a result. 60 per cent of standing aman paddy is about to be damaged
According to the local me teorological office the total rainfall was recorded 340 mil limeter during the same period of the last year while this year up to August 20 total rainfall wm recorded only 79 mm. This to atoo the case vhth other districts In this area
Area-wise cultivation target of aman paddy during the current season was fixed at and brought under cultivation was as follows :
In Bogra target was fixed at 3.46.270 acres of land and 2.81.463 acres have been brought under cultivation.
In Slrajganj target was fixed at 75335 acres and 56.809
acres have been brought under cultivation. In Rajshahi target was 1.72.900 acres and cultivated on 15880 acres. In Kuri-gram target 2.87.073 acres, cultivated on 197654 acres, in Naogaon target was 450.080 acres and cultivated on 349.000 acres, tn Lalmonlrhat target was 175.370 acres and cultivated on 156.660 acres, tn ChapainawabganJ target was 124.009 acres and cultivated on 90.724 acres, in Pancha garb target was 270.000 acres and culUvated on 163.725 acres, in Thakurgaon target was 231.288 acres and cultt vated on 187.000 acres, tn Rangpur target was 335.920 acres and cultivated on 331.060 acres, in Ntlphamari target was 255.000 acres and cultivated on 243.000 acres, in Dtnajpur target was 533.520 acres and cultivated on ^66 830 acres, in Gaibandha target was 296.400 acres and cultivated on 223.065 acres, in Jay purhat target was 172.000 acres and cultivated on 160.000 acres, tn Pabna target was 86.450 acres and cultivated on 61.750 acres and tn Natore target was 51.870 acres and cultivated on 45.903 acres.
The agriculture of the dis tricts largely depends on the
irrigation and it is being hampered to a great extent due to many problems Including fall of ground water level, mechanical trouble of irrigation pumps and shortage and high price of fuel
There are 47 thousand shallow, deep tubewell and lowitft pumps In the region out of which 40 per cent of the pump machines remain inoperative due to shortage of spare parts and fuel. Besides, power based irrigation pumps arc remain idle due to erratic power supply.
Aman cultivation in Sylhet
Our correspondent from Sylhet says : A massive programme has been taken up in all the four districts of greater Sylhet region during the current season for cultivating transplanted aman on 3.17.470 hectares of land.
The districts are. Sunam-ganj. Habiganj. Moulvlbazar and Sylhet
According to an official source, of the total area. 21.000 hectares have
been brought under high yielding varieties and 20.000 hectares of local varieties.
In Sunamganj. 43.000
hectares of high yielding varieties and 15.000 hectares of local varieties have been brought under cultivation. In Habiganj. 75.470 hectares of high yielding varieties, and 30.000 hectares of local varieties. in Moulvlbazar 42.000 hectares of high yielding varieties and 71.000 hectares of focal varieties. /
The total target of paddy productton had been fixed at 6.59.502 metric tonnes In these districts.
Of this. 4.71.822 metric tonnes would be from the high yielding varieties and 1.87.680 metric tonnes from the local varieties of transplanted aman. the source said.
As many as 390 demonstration plots have been set up in the districts during the sea son. the source added.
A total amount of Taka one crore 97 lakh has also been earmarked for distHBOBoh among the cultivators as shortterm loan. Of this amount. Taka 47 lakh will be dis tributed in Habiganj. Taka 47 lakh In Sunamganj. Taka 57 lakh In Moulvlbazar and Taka 46 lakh will be distributed in Sylhet district
Different measures are be Ing taken to make the pro gramme a success, the source said
UNB from Ba ri sal adds . A massive scheme has been taken up to bring 6.88 hectares of land under aman cultivation in 1 I southern districts during this season
According to official sources, of the total land. 72.000 hectares will be brought unefer high yielding variety and the rest under focal variety
The districts arc : Bansal. Patuakhali. Bhola. Jhalakathi. Perojpur. Barguna. Madaripur. Faridpur. Gopalganj. Rajbarl and Shariatpur
Meanwhile. Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation has distributed seeds, fertilisers, insecticides and other necessary Inputs among the farmers at fair prices to make the scheme a success.
It to expected that with the successful implementation of the scheme about 10 lakh metric tons of aman paddy will be produced during the sea son