Farmers of all five districts of Rangpur agricultural region produced 16,07,092 tonnes of maize in the last Rabi and the recently concluded Kharif-1 seasons in 2026.
Market sources said bumper production and gainful prices of maize have made farmers happy in the region.
Like in the last Rabi season, farmers are currently selling their harvested maize during the just-ended Kharif-1 season at rates between Taka 1,000 and Taka 1,150 per mound (every 40-kg).
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said farmers produced 14,17,133 tonnes of maize from 1,26,756 hectares of land during the last Rabi season and 1,89,959 tonnes from 20,815 hectares during the just-ended Kharif-1 season this year.
Additional Director of DAE for Rangpur region Md Shirajul Islam said the government provided special incentives, high yielding varieties of maize seeds and fertilizers and latest technologies to farmers to expand maize farming during both the seasons.
Like in previous years, this year too, in both seasons, people living on the banks of the rivers Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dharla, Jamuna, Dudhkumar, Atrai, Kartoa, Ghaghot and other riverine areas had brought the vast char lands under maize cultivation.
“Maize farming on the mainland and char areas is more profitable than many other crops and has been effectively helping farmers in cutting poverty and improving their livelihoods and living standard,” he said.
Farmers are reaping high profits from maize farming in Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat districts of the region following its huge demand in the prosperous poultry feed, animal feed and food industries sectors.
Talking to BSS, farmers Mohammad Ali, Abu Bakar and Hashem Ali of different villages in Gangachara upazila of Rangpur said they have got excellent yield of maize cultivated during the just-ended Kharif-1 season.
“We got bumper production of maize and better profits during both the last Rabi and Kharif-1 seasons this year,” said farmer Anwar Hossain of village Mohipur under Gangachara upazila of Rangpur.
Independence Award 2018 Medal (food security) winner Agriculturist Dr Md Abdul Mazid said that there is a bright potential to further increase the production of maize and the government has given due importance to this.
He stressed on increasing the cultivation of low-irrigation crops like maize and wheat to reduce high-irrigation Boro rice farming in northern Bangladesh to ensure food security under a changing climate and improve the environment, ecosystem and biodiversity.
In addition, maize is rich in vitamin A and its versatile uses, such as producing cholesterol-free corn oil from maize, can be helpful for heart patients in many ways.
He said, “Consuming flour made by grinding 70 percent wheat and 30 percent maize together is very beneficial for human health.”
He also said that besides ensuring nutritional needs and food security in an adverse climate, the proper and diversified consumption of potatoes along with maize and some other crops in a planned manner can help reduce the high pressure on rice.
Dr Mazid called on people to change dietary habits and eat maize in different ways for a healthy lifestyle.
