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Pulse farming goes big in the north

BSS, Rajshahi
Pulse farming is in full swing in northwestern districts, raising hopes for expected yields.
The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has fixed a target of producing 90,734 tonnes of pulses on 90,734 hectares in 16 districts in Rajshahi.
Under Rajshahi agriculture zone, 83,689 tonnes will be produced in Rajshahi, Naogaon, Natore, Chapainawabganj, Pabna, Sirajganj, Bogra and Joypurhat.
In Rangpur, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Kurigram, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh, the remaining 7,045 tonnes will be produced.
The DAE aims to produce 39,825 tonnes of lentil, 7,174 tonnes of gram and 43,735 tonnes of mashkalai.
The farmers sowed the seed on fallow lands after harvesting the Aman paddy in the hope of getting the
expected production as the market price of all varieties of pulses especially lentil is much higher than other cash crops.
Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (Bari), Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation, DAE and several nongovernmental organisations have taken necessary steps to keep the price of this food item in control with a successful production.
Different government and nongovernmental organisations provide training, technical assistance, inputs, seeds and loans to farmers.
On Farm Research Division of Bari has been implementing a field-level research programme, Reduction of Yield Gap of Gram, to make the gram farming popular at the growers’ level through disseminating modern cultivation method.
Shafiqul Islam, a senior official of Farm Research
Division, said research programmes have already created a positive impact among the target groups.
"Chickpea seeds should be sown on lands under the arrangement of insufficient irrigation within two to three days after the harvest of Aman paddy," Islam said.
Under the programme, the OFRD provides all sorts of inputs like seed and other technical know-how to reduce the yield gap at the farmers' level.
In the method, Islam said, if the gram farming among farmers could be made popular, the government can save huge foreign currencies being spent for importing this item.
Akhterul Afghan, additional director of DAE, said emphasis has been put on increasing the production of high yielding seeds through the extension and application of the high yielding varieties.
Dr Jalal Uddin, chief scientific officer of Regional
Agriculture Research Station at Ishwardi under Bari, said Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture and Bari have developed 11 high-yielding varieties of lentil and gram and took required steps to increase the production of the varieties.
To remove the crisis of quality seed, Dr Jalal said steps have been taken to establish seed-village with farmers' participation for enhancing production of breederseed.
Considering the agricultural environment and socio-economic condition of the region, the ricegram crop-diversification method should be promoted at the grassroots as it has been adjudged as profit making, cost-effective and timesaving, he added.
Experts said importance should be given to the formation of farmers group in block system instead of personal initiatives.