The winter time hybrid paddy cultivation has become popular in Chitalmari, Kachua, Fakirhat, Mollahat and Sadar upazilas as it gives more production than normal varieties.

According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), farmers are cultivating the paddy on 1390 hectares of land in Chitalmari, 150 hectares in Kachua, 200 hectares in Fakirhat, 40 hectares in Bagerhat Sadar, 20 hectares in Mollahat and one hectare in Rampal.

Nakib Foysal, chairman of Badhal Union Parishad in Kachua, said the growers are now busy cultivating land, making seedbeds and planting the seedlings from dawn to dusk. It seems to be an agricultural revolution.

They are getting 40 to 45 maunds of paddy from each bigha of land, he said.

Farmer of Sangdia village in Kachua upazila Sabuj Kumar Das, also the subassistant agriculture officer of Pirojpur Sadar Agriculture Office, said he is cultivating the hybrid rice of Lalteer paddy variety

on his 2.5 bighas of land.

There is no alternative to cultivate hybrid rice variety as they get 30 to 40 percent more paddy than other normal varieties like high yielding variety (HYV), he said.

Milon Saha, a grower of Sahapara area in Kachua said hybrid rice production method is similar to HYV rice cultivation system.

"I planted the hybrid variety Shathi on one bigha of land this year. I got 45 maunds of paddy last year,'' he said.

Another farmar of the area Kali Das Shaha said "During planting, water will be kept on the land for planting 30-35 days old seedlings by mid January. We are planting it in rows."

Bagerhat DAE Deputy Director Aftab Uddin said the farmers are cultivating more and more hybrid verities like Chamok, Lalteer, Hira, Tej, ACI-1 Sathi, Aloran, Hira, Superagro, Mukti-1, Rupali etc on their lands because it gives more production. They are providing the growers proper guidance.

The cultivating season for the hybrid variety is November to mid January, he said.