Biting cold, untimely rain affect mustard yield in Tangail
Mustard growers in the district have expressed fear of loss of the crop due to cold wave and rainy weather.
The cold wave and dense fog for the last couple of weeks and rain for four days since Thursday have caused damage to the crop in different areas of the district.
This may decrease the yield if such weather condition prevails in the next few days, local agriculture officials said.
On the other hand, honey bees cannot come to the mustard fields due to the cold wave and dense fog, hampering pollination.
According to Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Tangail, mustard was cultivated on 41000 hectares of land in the district this year.
Mustard is the second cash crop for the farmers in the region. Many growers cultivate Boro paddy after selling the Robi crop.
During a recent visit to the fields at different villages in Mirzapur upazila, this correspondent found that most flowers were dropped from the mustard plants.
The villages include Gorail, Chakleshawar, Burihati, Ghugi, Bhaora, Kutubpur, Postkamuri, Baorkumarjani and Baimhati.
Farmer Alamgir Hossain of Postkamuri village said he has cultivated mustard on three bighas of land. But the biting cold and rainy weather damaged his crop field.
Farid Miah of Chakleswar village said he has cultivated mustard on 2.5 acres of land this year but condition of his field is not good due to the bad weather.
The untimely rain has made the situation worst, he said.
Contacted, Abdur Razzak, deputy director of DAE in Tangail, said cold wave, fog and untimely rain can damage a portion of early variety of mustard, but the farmers who cultivated the crop late in the season will be benefited from the weather condition.
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