Maize farming becomes popular in Ghoraghat

Maize has been cultivated on 1,925 hectares of land in four unions of Ghoraghat upazila including Ghoraghat municipality in Dinajpur in this season.

Maize farming is becoming popular among the farmers in Dinajpur's Ghoraghat upazila as they are making much profit from its cultivation due to bumper production.

Maize has been cultivated on 1,925 hectares of land in four unions of Ghoraghat upazila including Ghoraghat municipality in Dinajpur in this season.

The upazila agriculture department believes that there is a possibility of producing 22,136 metric tons of corn from this cultivation.

Farmers of the upazila have increased interest in maize cultivation as it is more profitable than other crops. In the current season, various varieties of maize including Kaberi-54, MK-40, Palowan, Super Sahin, Kaberi-44, Syngenta-7720 have been cultivated.

Early varieties of maize have been cultivated in relatively higher lands of the upazila. Especially on the two banks of the Karatoya river, crops other than maize are rarely seen. As the market price is higher and more profitable with the demand, this time, early varieties of maize have also been cultivated in Boro paddy land.

Yamin Mia, a farmer from Krishnarampur village of the upazila, said that last year the price of maize was as expected so this year he cultivated maize in about five bighas of land. In addition to selling maize, its plants can be used as fuel. Apart from this, farmers have also grown corn on the lands that were once cultivated with boro.

Quader Hossain, a farmer of Risighat village of the upazila, said that compared to other crops including rice, the cost and labor in maize cultivation is low and the price is high, so the interest in maize cultivation is increasing among the farmers.

Ghoraghat Upazila Agriculture Extension Officer Umme Salma Begum said that the interest of farmers is increasing day by day as corn costs less than other crops. Apart from this, maize production capacity is high in this upazila. For this, farmers are more interested in corn cultivation.

Upazila Agriculture Officer Rafikuzzaman said that it is profitable to produce fish and chicken food from corn and its plants are used as fuel. Therefore, the interest in maize cultivation among farmers is increasing day by day. Maize has been cultivated on 590 bigha of land under agricultural incentives in the upazila. The agriculture department has given free fertilizer and seeds to the farmers.