Char farmer Maqbul Hossain, 65, has been cultivating maize on seven bighas of sandy char land on the Teesta riverbed for the past 10 years. Before switching to maize, he could hardly grow any crops on the char lands and had to struggle with poverty to survive. But after starting maize cultivation, his family began to prosper.

Maqbul Hossain lives in Char Shoulmari area of Kaliganj upazila in Lalmonirhat.

This year, Maqbul harvested 290 maunds of maize from seven bighas of land. He spent Tk 81,000 on maize cultivation and is selling the crop at Tk 1,100 to Tk 1,160 per maund.

"If I had not started cultivating maize on sandy char, I would still be struggling with poverty. Maize cultivation has brought prosperity to my family," he said.

Delwar Hossain, 60, a farmer from Char Doani area, said he lost 10 bighas of land to river erosion and had to move to the city with his family, earning a living by driving a rickshaw. As chars re-emerged on the Teesta riverbed, he returned to his village 12 years ago and started cultivating maize. This year, he cultivated maize on eight bighas and harvested 322 maunds.

He said, "With the income I earn every year from maize cultivation, I can meet my family's needs and still save some money."

Many other farmers echoed him.

Shafiqul Islam, additional director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Rangpur, said maize has been cultivated on 126,501 hectares of land in five districts of the Rangpur region -- Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Rangpur and Nilphamari -- with a production target of 13.92 lakh tonnes. About 50 percent of the maize is produced in char areas.

This year, it has been cultivated on 33,055 hectares of land in the district, with most of it grown on the sandy char land along the Teesta riverbed, he said.

The country's annual maize demand is around 70 lakh tonnes, while production currently stands at about 68 lakh tonnes. "No maize will have to be imported after the next two to three years," he added.