This year the target of maize production in Chandpur is 67 thousand MT. Chandpur is one of the major riverine agricultural areas of the country. The Meghna, Padma, Meghna, Dhanagoda, and Dakatia river flows through the district.
As Chandpur has one of the two irrigation projects in the country. One is Chandpur Irrigation Project and the other is Meghna-Dhanagoda Irrigation Project. About 15% of the country’s food grains are produced in Chandpur.
Apart from this, there are about 11-12 isolated char in Chandpur which also produce huge food and rabi crops.
Chandpur has set a production target of 67,575 MT of maize for the 2021-22 season. The target for land cultivation was 6,625 hectares.
In Chandpur, farmers usually cultivate maize along with potato, mustard, and wheat. They do not have to pay extra labor, pesticides, and fertilizers.
Due to favorable weather conditions, transportation facilities, provision of production technology by the agriculture department, improved communication system, easy availability of agricultural implements, advice of agriculturists on the use of seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, provision of agricultural loans from banks, farmers of Chandpur are cultivating maize on a large scale.
With the help of loans, it is possible to cultivate more maize in the char areas. Matlab’s Char Eliot, Char Qasim, Borochar, Chandpur Sadar’s Rajrajeswar, Jahajmara, Lagmimara, Banshgari, Chirar char, Fatehjangpur, Haimchar’s Ishanbala, Char Gazipur, Manipur, Madhyacharbar, Majhir Bazar.
According to sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension, Farm House, Chandpur, the cultivable area in Chandpur Sadar is 595 hectares and the production target has been set at 6,069 MT. In the North Matlab, cultivation is 1,850 hectares and the production target is set at 18,860 MT.
Cultivation in the South Matlab is 2,650 hectares and the production target has been set at 27,030 MT. Cultivation in Hajiganj is 240 hectares and the production target has been set at 2,428 MT.
Cultivation in Shahrashti is 30 hectares and the production target is 306 MT. Cultivation in Kachua is 1,100 hectares and the production target is set at 11,220 MT.
Cultivation in Faridganj is 140 hectares and the production target has been set at 1,428 MT. Cultivation in Haimchar is 20 hectares and the production target is 204 MT.
An agronomist of the Chandpur agriculture department said that the target for cultivation and production is higher this time as compared to the last few years.
Correspondent: Abdul Ghoni, February 14,2022