The agriculture ministry has announced a Tk 64.15 crore incentive package to encourage small and marginal farmers to produce Aush paddy and boost overall production.

Aush paddy saplings are transplanted after March 15.

Under the initiative, the agriculture ministry will provide incentives to 9.40 lakh small and marginal farmers.

Each farmer will receive a package containing 5 kilogrammes (kgs) of seeds and 10 kgs each of DAP (diammonium phosphate) and MOP (muriate of potash) fertilisers, sufficient for one bigha of land, according to a press release.

The programme focuses on distributing high-yielding paddy seed varieties, such as BRRI Dhan 48, BRRI Dhan 82, BRRI Dhan 85, BRRI Dhan 98, BINA Dhan 19 and BINA Dhan 21.

Funded through the ministry's regular budget for agricultural rehabilitation assistance and the seeds and seedlings sector, the government has already issued an order for the programme's implementation.

The distribution is set to begin shortly at the field level, the press release added.

The announcement comes as farmers are set to start sowing Aush paddy.

Farmers cultivated Aush on 10.5 lakh hectares in 2023 and yielded 30.4 lakh tonnes of rice. The production reflected a 4.8 percent year-on-year increase, according to data from the Department of Agricultural Extension.

Aush accounts for nearly 5 percent of the annual rice production of Bangladesh.