<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">Boro cultivation has brought smiles to the farmers of Chapainawabganj district with a bumper yield this season.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">During a recent visit to different parts of the district, this correspondent found that some farmers are busy harvesting paddy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ibrahim Ali, a farmer in Sadar upazila, said, “I have brought three bighas of land under boro cultivation. I got 80 maunds of paddy from my land and I am happy with this.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Though I did not face any shortage of seeds and fertilizers this year, the production cost has shot up,” he added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Shafiqul Islam, another farmer of Nunapokhar area, said, “I have cultivated boro paddy on 12 bigha land. Now paddy harvesting is going on. This year the yield is quite good, and I’m getting 25–26 maunds of paddy per bigha. The current price is also good – Tk 1,100–1,200 per maund. If the cost of fertilizer, irrigation and pesticide were down, we would be benefited more,” he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), a total of 51,555 hectares of land have been brought under boro cultivation as farmers are showing more interest.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This year, the DAE set a target to cultivate boro paddy on 51,150 hectares of land but the farmers cultivated 51,555 hectares exceeding the target, said Palash Sarkar, deputy director of DAE.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Under agricultural incentives, boro seeds and fertilizers were provided free of charge to 36,200 marginal farmers in the district.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Farmers have cultivated the Ufsi variety of paddy in their fields as it is more profitable than the other varieties.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, this time the cultivation of BRRI Dhan-88 and BRRI Dhan-89 has been expanded, Deputy Director Palash Sarkar said. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">bnbd24/kh</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div>