15 Dec 2025
RANGPUR : The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has set a target to produce 268,732 tonnes of winter wheat from 68,392 hectares across eight districts in two agricultural regions of Rangpur division during the 2025–2026 Rabi season.
DAE officials said that wheat production in the previous 2024–2025 Rabi season stood at 198,968 tonnes from 51,616 hectares in the Rangpur and Dinajpur agricultural regions. The shortfall from the earlier target was attributed mainly to crop diversification, as farmers expanded cultivation of vegetables, maize, and other high-value crops.
For the current season, the DAE has earmarked production of 56,188 tonnes from 15,535 hectares in five districts—Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, and Nilphamari—under the Rangpur agricultural region. In the Dinajpur agricultural region, covering Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, and Panchagarh districts, the target has been set at 212,544 tonnes from 52,857 hectares.
“Farmers have already started preparing their fields for wheat sowing after harvesting Aman rice,” said Md Sirajul Islam, Additional Director of the DAE for the Rangpur region. He added that sowing activities will gain momentum from next month as Aman rice harvesting progresses across the division.
To support the programme, the interim government, through the DAE, is providing high-quality wheat seeds, along with di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and muriate of potash (MoP) fertilisers, as special agricultural incentives for small and marginal farmers. Key agencies, including the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), are also implementing coordinated measures to ensure the success of the intensive wheat cultivation drive.
“The authorities have ensured the availability of quality seeds, modern technologies, fertilisers, and other essential inputs to promote wheat cultivation,” Islam said.
Farmers are predominantly cultivating high-yielding wheat varieties such as Bijoy, Pradip, Sotabdi, BARI Gom-25, BARI Gom-26, BARI Gom-27, BARI Gom-28, and BARI Gom-29, using conservation agriculture (CA) technologies to boost productivity while reducing costs.
Md Mamunur Rashid, a PhD fellow in the Department of Agricultural Extension at Dinajpur Haji Mohammad Danesh University of Science and Technology, told BSS that the adoption of modern technologies has significantly improved wheat farming in recent years. He noted that CA-based methods, including strip tillage and bed planting using seeder machines, have increased yields while reducing irrigation needs and labour costs compared to conventional full tillage practices.
Rashid explained that wheat production had previously suffered due to high temperatures during flowering and ripening stages, delayed sowing after late-harvested Aman rice, and the use of low-quality local seeds. “Now, farmers are timely sowing disease-resistant and stress-tolerant varieties after harvesting short-duration Aman rice, using low-cost CA-based technologies, which has resulted in improved yields,” he said.
He also commended the interim government for promoting high-yielding wheat varieties and modern farming practices to enhance production and farmer profitability.
Meanwhile, farmers from various villages in Rangpur Sadar upazila, including Lutfar Rahman, Akmal Hossain, Ariful Haque, Golzar Rahman, and Mohsin Ali, said they are actively preparing their lands for wheat cultivation following the completion of Aman rice harvesting.