Officials and farmers are expecting an excellent production of mustard in Rangpur agriculture region as its harvest will begin in the next month during the current Rabi season.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said the blooming mustard plants on crop fields have given an alluring yellowish look to nature amid favourable climatic conditions bringing a smile to farmers, reports BSS.
The DAE has fixed a target of bringing 39,150 hectares of land under mustard cultivation to produce 53,248 tonnes of the oil seeds for all five districts in the region this season.
Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Agriculturist Md. Moniruzzaman said farmers have finally cultivated mustard on 38,433 hectares of land this time, lees by 717 hectares of land or 1.83 per cent against the fixed farming target.
“The cultivated land area of 38,433 hectares of land this year is higher by 5,093 hectares than the achieved cultivated land area of 33,340 hectares of land last year when famers produced 43,750 tonnes of the crop in the region,” Moniruzzaman said.
Despite a little shortfall against the fixed farming target this year, farmers are expected to attain the fixed product+ion target of mustard following cultivation of its high yielding varieties on more land this season.
After getting better production with lucrative prices between Taka 2,800 and Taka 3,000 per mound (every 40 kg) in local markets last year, farmers have shown more interest in cultivation of the highly profitable crop this season in the region.
“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,” Moniruzzaman said.
“Farmers are likely to get bumper output as they have mostly cultivated high yielding mustard varieties like ‘Tori 7’, BARI-9, BARI-14, BARI-15 and BINA-4 on more land and excellent growth of the crop plants predicts excellent output,” Moniruzzaman said.
The DAE, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute, Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) and other agri-related organisations have extended assistance to farmers to make the extensive mustard cultivation programme a success.
The government has distributed quality mustard seeds and fertilisers as incentives among flood-affected small and marginal farmers to cultivate mustard on one bigha of land each to recoup crop losses they incurred during last year’s floods in the region.
Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid said farmers have also cultivated mustard on vast char areas in the region to get bumper output and reap more profits this season like in recent years.
Talking to the news agency, farmers Nurul Amin, Hamidul Haque, Nuruzzaman Mandal and Hossain Ali of Gangachara, Mithapukur, Sadar, Badarganj and Kawnia upazilas of Rangpur said they are expecting a bumper production of mustard with rewarding price this season.