Mustard farming increasing in northern districts
Mustard farming increasing in northern districts
Growers expect bumper production of the more profitable item
Bumper yield of mustard is expected in several northern districts this season due to favourable climatic conditions.
Bogra district sees gradual increase of mustard cultivation for last few years, reports our correspondent.
This year 27,846 hectares of land have been brought under mustard cultivation in 12 upazilas of the district and the production target is 32,048 tonnes, said sources of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE).
The cultivation area in the district was 27,035 hectares, 25,890 hectares and 23,374 hectares of land in 2014, 2013 and 2012, according to DAE office.
"Six to eight maunds of mustard is produced from each bigha of land. A maund of raw mustard usually sells for Tk 1800-2000 and dried mustard for Tk 2200," said Nazrul Islam, a farmer of Chatua village in Adamdighi upazila of the district.
Large-scale cultivation of mustard is also helpful for apiculture, said apiculturist Riajul Islam of DAE.
Supervision by field level DAE staff and suggestion for timely apply of fertiliser and insecticides at the 'yard meetings' with the farmers contribute to good yield of mustard for years, said Bazlur Rashid Raza, additional director of DAE, Bogra.
Our Kurigram Correspondent reports: Farmers have cultivated mustard on 13,021 hectares of land in the district against the DAE's target of 10,007 hectares.
“Encouraged by good yield of mustard and its fair price, the farmers have cultivated mustard early (in October) to recover their losses due to the floods this year. The cultivated varieties include BARI (Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute) Sarisha-9, 13 and 14, Tori-7 and Sampad,” said Tajul Islam, sub-assistant agriculture officer of DAE.
“I have cultivated mustard on six bighas of land this year spending Tk 8,000. Now I expect to get 22 maunds of yield that will sell for at least Tk 33,000," said Sirajul Islam of Kachichar village of Ghogadaho union in Kurigram Sadar upazila.
Our Thakurgaon correspondent reports: Farmers and agriculture officials in Thakurgaon and Panchagarh districts are expecting a bumper yield of mustard this season although the cultivation area falls behind the target.
The farmers have cultivated mustard on 9,750 hectares of land this season against the target of 13,194 hectares in Thakurgaon district and 1,500 hectares of land against the target of 1,693 hectares in Panchagarh, said officials of DAE.
"Bumper yield of mustard is expected this season due to favourable climatic condition and arrival of more honey bees in the fields, which helps healthy fertilisation and pod formation in the plants," said Zaherul Haque, crop production specialist of Thakurgaon DAE office.
Several other districts including Lalmonirhat and Tangail also show signs of good yield of mustard this season, according to our correspondents.