Lalmonirhat, March 23, (BDR): The economy of Teesta Char in Lalmonirhat has been boosted by maize cultivation.
The expensive golden-grain maize is being cultivated on thousands of hectares of dry seasonally raised char land along the 67 km left bank of the Teesta River in the district.
Out of the five upazilas of the district, the largest amount of maize is being cultivated in the char of Teesta River in four upazilas bordering the river.
Among these, maize has been extensively cultivated in the Teesta Char area of Kaliganj Upazila this year. Out of the eight unions of this upazila, parts of 3 unions have been ravaged by the Teesta River. Farmers in the char areas of these 3 unions have cultivated various types of maize on the land. Their only recourse to turn around is the cultivation of maize on the sand banks raised in the river. This year is no exception.
Since corn cultivation is more profitable than other crops including rice, farmers in the char are cultivating corn more than other crops.
33 percent of the char land yields 40 to 42 maunds of corn, and the production cost is 14 to 16 thousand taka. The current market price of corn is 1250-1350 taka. Since corn yields more than double that of other crops, farmers in the char have been cultivating corn continuously for the past few years.
The neglected and deprived people of the char are becoming economically prosperous by cultivating the expensive golden grain corn.
On the spot, visiting the Rudreshwar Char in Kakina Union, Shailmari in Bhotmari Union and Munshir Bazar Char in Tushbhandar Union, surrounded by the Teesta River in Kaliganj Upazila, it was seen that although various crops were damaged due to floods this year, the farmers in the char area are trying to compensate for the loss by cultivating corn. Farmers said that the land in the char area is more fertile due to the silt accumulated in the flood waters. Now there is a smile of happiness on the faces of the people who were destitute in the river surrounding the corn.
Abdul Khalek, a corn farmer from the Shaulmari area of Bhotmari Union of the upazila, said that this time he has cultivated corn on about 3 acres of land. So far, he has spent about 1 lakh 20 thousand taka. Another 50 thousand taka will be spent until the corn is harvested. The total cost will be about 2 lakh taka. Based on the way the corn has been harvested, he is expecting about 250 to 300 maunds of corn. If the market price is good, the farmer is expecting to earn lakhs of taka. However, he complained that if the prices of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides and other necessary items were kept in hand, he would have made double the profit.
Shariful Islam, a corn farmer from Char Bhotmari area, has cultivated corn on 3 acres of land. He said that he dreams of making up for the flood damage by cultivating corn. A smile can be seen on his face with the good yield of corn. This farmer is expecting a lot of profit if the market price of corn is good.
Deputy Assistant Agriculture Officer (Bhotmari Block) Mohammad Farid said that the Upazila Agriculture Office is providing advice to corn farmers in the Char area. This time, corn has been cultivated on 1970 hectares of land in Bhotmari Union. The Agriculture Department is supporting the farmers with incentive corn seeds and fertilizers, and advice and training are ongoing.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Tushar Kanti Roy said that this year, corn has been cultivated on 4150 hectares of land in Kaliganj Upazila. Since it is a profitable crop, corn cultivation is increasing in the Char area. Farmers can make more profit, overall cooperation is being provided.’
He said that if the market price of maize is good in the current season, maize farmers will benefit a lot. Maize cultivation has changed the quality of life of the people of the char. The fate of many has changed. If the weather is favorable and the farmers get it at the right market price, the economy of the char will be more active.
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