Growers expect massive yield of mustard this season

Favourable weather, better growth of plants with a good blossom and timely supply of necessary inputs made the growers hopeful for a massive yield of mustard this season across the country.

The Business Post correspondent in Rangpur reported that yield of mustard this season would surpass the previous years. The Department of Agricultural Extension in Rangpur targeted to have a yield of 53,733 tonnes of mustard for this season, higher by 2,191 tonnes than the past year’s harvest of 51,542 tonnes, Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md Tauhidul Iqbal said.

He said farmers had cultivated mustard on 38,433 hectares of land and produced 51,542 tonnes of mustard in all five districts of the region during the last 2020-2021 Rabi season.

“Some 5,450 hectares of lands in Rangpur, 8,560 hectares in Gaibandha, 4,935 hectares in Nilphamari, 13,605 hectares in Kurigram and 1,485 hectares of lands in Lalmonirhat are brought under mustard cultivation this year,” he said adding that they provided seeds and fertiliser to 52,500 farmers free of cost under the government agriculture incentive programme.

He also said farming of the oil seed might reduce the dependency on imported edible oil such as soybean oil.

Afzal Hossain, 57, of Faridpur in Mithapukur of Rangpur, said he got benefit cultivating mustard on two bighas of land last year and this year he is cultivating on four bighas of land and expects a good harvest.

Shahdat Hossain, 50, another farmer of Bokbandha in Rawmari of Kurigram, said, he had cultivated three bighas of lands spending around Tk 9,000.

He is expecting at least 12 maunds of the mustard this season which might be sold at Tk 24,000.

Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Md Mahbubur Rahman predicted a bumper production of mustard this season as farmers are bringing more land under cultivation of the highly profitable cash crop.

Apart from the DAE, research and development organisations like Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) and severak NGOs have taken measures to support the farmers.

In Rajshahi, around 2.83 lakh tonnes of mustard yield are expected from around two lakh hectares of lands in all eight districts this Rabi season, said The Business Post correspondent in Rajshahi.

The DAE has set a target of producing 1.10 lakh tonnes of mustard on 77,960 hectares of land in four districts of Rajshahi Agricultural Zone, while another 1.73 lakh tonnes on 1.21 lakh hectares of land in four other districts of Bogura Agricultural Zone.

DAE’s different initiatives and favorable climate conditions in the region this Rabi season became a boon for mustard plants to grow well, predicting bumper productions.

Sirajul Islam, Additional Director of DAE in Rajshahi, said 98,000 farmers were given seeds and fertilisers worth around Tk 3.83 crore free of cost for cultivating mustard.

In addition to the DAE, various other research and development organisations like BARI and many other NGOs have taken adequate steps in collaboration with other departments this season to achieve the production targets.

In Manikganj, mustard cultivation exceeded its target during this Robi season in all the seven upazilas of the district, reports our Manikganj correspondent.

As the favourable climatic condition is prevailing in the district, the cultivators are expecting an excellent production of the crops in the areas.

Good production of mustard and its fair prices have been encouraging the farmers to spread its cultivation during the past several years.

Easy cultivation and harvesting process and lower production cost is also a reason behind the popularity of mustard cultivation in the areas, the farmers said.

The DAE has fixed a target of bringing 36,200 hectares of land under mustard cultivation in all the seven upazilas of the district this season to produce 48,870 tonnes of the oil seeds.