Photo : BSS

By Md Mamun Islam
 
RANGPUR, Sept 6, 2025 (BSS) - Agricultural experts believe that it is possible to sustainably increase agricultural production by popularizing 
intercropping, relay and mixed-relay crop cultivation technologies among farmers.
 
Large-scale adoption of relay, mixed-relay, and intercropping technologies can help alleviate poverty by creating job opportunities for agricultural workers along with increasing food production to ensure national food security.
 
After evaluating sustainable relay technology, they said that farmers can increase food production largely by adopting these methods and cultivating early varieties of Aman rice, Boro rice, Rabi crops, vegetables and pulses.
 
Former Chief Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and Independence Award-2018 (food security) winner Dr MA Mazid said farmers have been reaping benefits from adopting these technologies in the last two decades. 
 
"The cyclic crop farming in relay process or intercropping of several crops begin with the cultivation of Aman rice using wet or dry direct seeded rice (DSR) method with the help of drum seeders or 'lithao' system of seedlings under any climatic condition," he said.
 
"This enables farmers to harvest Aman rice at least 45 days ahead of the traditional harvesting periods," he said, adding that this technology also saves the crop from natural calamities and pest attacks with at least 30 percent less production costs. 
 
By using the relay, mixed-relay or intercropping methods, seeds of potato, wheat, maize, various pulses and vegetables can be sowed in the same land with other crops in regular intervals. 
 
This is how at least three to four or even more crops can be produced annually from the same land. 
 
"If the DSR or 'lithao' method is adopted in Boro rice farming, at least 30 percent less irrigation water will be required during the full cultivation 
period and production costs of the crop will be reduced, saving huge quantities of imported fuels too," Dr Mazid said. 
 
Deputy Director of the Burirhat Horticulture Center of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Rangpur Dr Md Abu Sayem said adoption of the relay and mixed-relay technologies nationwide can bring a revolution in the country's agriculture sector. 
 
The relay technology has been proved to be successful in increasing food production both in the mainland and riverine char areas, avoiding climatic hazards, lowering production costs and combating seasonal job crisis in Rangpur region. 
 
"The most important aspect of adopting relay or mixed-relay technologies is that farmers can cultivate three to four or even more early variety crops, including potatoes, wheat, Aman rice, Boro rice, maize, pulses and vegetables, annually on the same land," he said. 
 
Md Mamunur Rashid, a PhD Fellow in the DAE at Dinajpur Haji Mohammad Danesh University of Science and Technology, said farmers can be benefited from cultivating early varieties of Aman rice adopting relay methods.
 
"Aman rice cultivated adopting the wet or dry DSR by the drum seeder method can be harvested within only 100 days after sowing the seeds, as its farming period is less by 40 to 50 days than any other traditional varieties of the crop," Rashid said.
 
"Production of potato, pulses, mustard, maize, vegetables, banana and other companion crops could be increased avoiding natural calamities and at lower production costs if relay, mixed-relay or intercropping technologies were adopted," he continued.

Farmer Shahinur Islam of Purbo Mohipur village of Gangachara upazila in Rangpur said he cultivates potato, pumpkin, 'Khira', green chilli, maize and other crops adopting relay, mixed-relay or intercropping methods on char lands.
 
Aminul Islam of village Char Taluk Shahbaz in Balapara union of Kawnia upazila in Rangpur said that he earns good profits from cultivating pumpkin, groundnut, onion, garlic and vegetables adopting the relay, mixed-relay or intercropping methods.