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May
15, 2000
Kushtia, May 14 (UNB) – Pulse production in 10
districts of Khulna division, including Kushtia, fell far short of the
target in last Rabi season as all the targeted lands could not be
brought under cultivation.
Agriculture officials said they had fixed the
production of seven varieties of pulse -- musur, chola, khesari, Mash
Kalai, mug, motor and arahor -– at 1.7 lakh mts for the last season
from 2.14 lakh hectares of land in Jhenidah, Jessore, Magura, Narail,
Chuadanga, Meherpur, Satkhira, Bagerhat, Khulna and Kushtia districts.
But the output trailed far behind the target as
most farmers refrained from pulse farming for various reasons,
including lack of government support.
Variety-wise breakup of the pulse output targets
and achievements:
Musur – Production target: 68,560 mts from
86,900 hectares. Achievement: 71.23 percent. Chola – Production
target: 51,600 mts from 55,500 hectares. Achievement: 13 percent.
Khesari – Production target: 33,060 mts from
43,500 hectares. Achievement: 60.42 percent. Mash Kalai – Targeted
land: 10,350 hectares. Achievement in production target 70 percent.
Mug – Production Target: 4,650 mts from 6,850
hectares. Achievement: 49 percent. Motor – Production target 6,030
mts from 8,380 hectares. Achievement: 55 percent. Arohor –
Production target: 5506 mts. Achievement: 12.5 percent.
The agriculture officials said the trend of pulse
farming in Kushtia, Chuadanga, Meherpur, Jhenidah, Magura, Jessore and
Narail, once famous for pulse cultivation, steadily declined in last
10 years, as farmers these days prefer farming Boro crops than pulse.
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