Farmers happy at bumper mustard output

Farmers are happy getting a bumper output of mustard and its excellent market price after completing harvest of the oil seeds last week in Rangpur agriculture region. Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said a target of producing 53,248 tonnes of mustard from 39,150 hectares of land was fixed for all five districts in the region during the current Rabi season.

“However, farmers cultivated mustard on 38,433 hectares of land, lees by only 617 hectares of land against the fixed farming target this season,” said Additional Director of the DAE at its Rangpur regional office, Agriculturalist Khandker Abdul Wahed.

Farmers finally cultivated mustard on 6,410 hectares of land in Rangpur, 10,600 hectares in Gaibandha, 13,765 hectares in Kurigram, 2,158 hectares in Lalmonirhat and 5,500 hectares of land in Nilphamari districts in the region.

“After completing harvest of the crop last week, farmers produced 51,542 tonnes of mustard in all five districts of the region,” he said.

Farmers achieved an excellent average yield rate of 1.34 tonnes of the oil seeds per hectare of land following cultivation of its high yielding varieties evolved by Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI).

Deputy Director of DAE for Rangpur Agriculturist Dr. Sarwarul Haque said farmers had mostly cultivated high yielding varieties of mustard like BARI Sarisa-9, BARI Sarisa-14, BARI Sarisa-15, BINA Sarisa-4 and other varieties on their land this time. To make the extensive mustard cultivation programme successful, the DAE and other agriculture related departments extended assistance to farmers of the region.

The government also distributed mustard seeds and fertilisers free of cost as special incentives among small and marginal farmers of the region to cultivate mustard on one bigha of land each this season.

“The fixed mustard farming target fell little short due to crop diversification and cultivation of Aman rice on more land during the last season followed by cultivation of maize on more land this season,” he added. Market sources said the newly harvested mustard oilseed is being sold at rates between Taka 2,800 and Taka 3,000 per mound (every 40 kg) in local markets.

Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid lauded various steps taken by the government to expand mustard farming for increasing its output aiming at attaining self-reliance on edible oil.

“Increased cultivation of high yielding varieties of mustard adopting latest technologies would not only boost its production further, but also meet local demand of edible oil reducing dependence on its import in the future,” he said.

Talking to BSS, farmers Mofizar Rahman, Aiyub Ali, Azizul Haque, Mokhlesur Rahman and Ariful Haque of different villages in Rangpur said they got excellent mustard output with lucrative prices this season.