Sunflower farming target exceeds in Manikganj

The sunflower cultivation has exceeded its target fixed by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in the Manikganj district this season as its cultivation has been gaining popularity among the farmers. Department of Agriculture Extension sources said the farmers have been showing their keen interest to cultivate Sunflower in their fellow lands especially in the char areas of the Padma and the Jamuna as they can earn more profits.

A total of 76 hectares of land have already been brought under the cultivation in the district this year. But DAE earlier set a target of cultivating Sunflower on 20 hectares of land in the district during this season. Deputy Director of DAE Md. Shahjahan Ali Biswas told. The DAE distributed 7000 kilograms of improved quality seeds of Sunflower as incentives among 7000 small and marginal farmers of the district.

The crops specialists and field-workers of DAE continued rendering their field-level service to let the cultivators know about the modern cultivation methods to cultivate Sunflower crops through using latest technologies by reducing production costs. The sources said all of the farmers could not cultivate the seeds timely as the late flood disrupted the cultivation.

Harvesting of Sunflower oil seeds will be started from the middle of March. The deputy director also said if the weather condition remains favorable, the cultivators are expecting a good production in the district this year.