Symbolic Photo. File

By AKM Rashed Shahriar

DHAKA, May 15, 2026 (BSS) – The government has finalized and approved cultivation and production targets for various crops under the intensive monsoon-season crop production programme for the 2026–27 fiscal year.

The decision was taken recently at a meeting held at the Ministry of Agriculture, chaired by Agriculture Secretary Dr. Rafiqul I Mohamed.

The meeting placed special emphasis on the cultivation and production of Aus and Aman rice to ensure food security. 

According to the approved targets, the total cultivation target for Aus rice has been set at 10.224 million hectares, with a production target of 30.482 million metric tons of rice. Of this, 9.212 million hectares will be cultivated with high-yielding varieties (HYV).

Agriculture Ministry sources said that for transplanted Aman rice, one of the major crops of the Kharif season, the cultivation target has been set at 57.908 million hectares, from which 160.007 million metric tons of rice are expected to be produced. For Bona Aman cultivation on 59.342 million hectares of land, the production target has been fixed at 163.089 million metric tons of rice.

Agriculture Ministry’s Deputy Secretary Muhammad Shahid Ullah told BSS that targets for not only rice but also jute, maize, vegetables, and pulses have been finalised at the meeting. 

The government has set a target of producing 83.215 million bales of jute through cultivation on 7.083 million hectares of land.

In addition, plans have been adopted to cultivate summer maize on 0.987 million hectares of land and Kharif vegetables on 5.858 million hectares.

Specific cultivation areas and production targets have also been finalized for pulses, oilseeds, mung beans, black gram, peanuts, and sesame.

Furthermore, a cultivation target of 0.41 million hectares has been set for green chili, with a production target of 4.307 million metric tons.

Asked how the targets would be implemented, Director General of the Department of Agricultural Extension, Md. Abdur Rahim told BSS that work had already begun to implement the government’s plans. 

He said responsibilities had been distributed at the field level according to the plan, and area-based monitoring would be conducted. 

Rahim expressed optimism that the targets would be fully achieved.

The DG said that emphasis has been placed on ensuring the availability of quality seeds and supplementary irrigation facilities where necessary, so that cultivation targets can be achieved as planned.

In this regard, Additional Secretary Md. Selim Khan told BSS that concerned officials had been instructed to ensure adequate supplies of seeds and fertilizers to achieve the targets. Field-level officials have also been directed to popularize ginger cultivation in sacks, he said.

Agriculture Secretary Dr. Rafiqul I Mohamed told BSS that directives had been issued to increase the amount of cultivable land and bring uncultivated fallow land under farming. 

He emphasized increasing production vertically through the use of new technologies and production techniques.

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