Sunflower farming expanding fast

Farming of sunflower, one of the lucrative oilseeds, is gaining popularity across Bangladesh as farmers are getting higher yields at affordable costs and making a good profit.

The increased demand for the oilseed for its health benefits has also made the growers more interested, said experts.

The cultivation of sunflower became popular in Faridpur and more than 200 farmers in nine upazilas have cultivated BARI-2 variety of sunflower this year, said Department of Agricultural Extension officials.

The Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) office in Faridpur also brought three acres of land under sunflower cultivation this year and sowed seeds of high-yielding BARI-3 variety in the first week of November. The stem of the flower can grow up to three metres tall, with a flower head that can be 12 cm wide.

Several hundred people from different districts visit a farm of BADC at Domrakandi in Faridpur every day to enjoy the scenic beauty of sunflowers in bloom at the farm. Sunflowers are grown at the farm to produce seeds.

BADC officials said a good number of visitors from Rajbari, Gopalganj, Magura, Khulna and Dhaka visit the sunflower fields every day.

Mahmudul Islam Khan Zia, Deputy Director at BADC’s Pulses and Oilseed Production Farm in Faridpur, said cultivation of sunflower, which is more nutritious and resistant to cancer and heart disease, has become popular in Faridpur.

“We cultivate sunflower with our contracted growers. The seeds produced in this district meet the demand of different regions of the country,” he said.

Farmer Alam Bepari said he had cultivated sunflower because the production cost is less than other crops, and it is more profitable.

Seeds can be harvested within 95 to 100 days of sowing. The crop needs a small amount of chemical fertilizer and two times irrigation. Cultivating sunflower on one acre of land costs Tk 35 to 40 thousand. About one tonne of seeds is produced in one acre of land. One tonne of seeds can be sold for Tk 85 to 90 thousand. After harvest sunflower stems can also be used as fuel, said Alam Bepari.

According to the Sirajganj district agriculture office, sunflower has been cultivated on 264 hectares of land in Sadar, Kamarkhand, Belkuchi, Chowhali, Shahjadpur, Tarash, Kazipur, Ullapara, and Raiganj against a target of 260 hectares. Seeds have been distributed among the farmers free of cost under the Agricultural Rehabilitation Programme.

Sirajganj Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension Abu Hanif said the land in the district is suitable for sunflower cultivation.

In Pabna’s Sujanagar, the sunflower was cultivated commercially on a small scale before, but this year it has increased. Especially sunflower has been cultivated extensively in the char lands of the upazila.

According to the Upazila Agriculture Office, the oilseed has been cultivated in chars in Char Sujanagar, Char Bhawanipur, Char Bishwanathpur, Bhatapara, Shyamnagar, and Charkhali of the upazila.

As paddies do not grow well in char lands, local farmers have cultivated sunflower in those lands. Last year, sunflower was cultivated on 10 hectares of land and this year it rose to 15 hectares.

Badsha Sheikh, a farmer from Char Sujanagar, said the production cost of sunflower is low. Moreover, the yield is quite good, and the profit is high.

Abdus Sattar, a farmer of Bhatpara, said to cultivate sunflower in one bigha of land, the production cost, including fertilizer and seeds, is Tk 12-15 thousand. Every bigha of land produces 6-7 maunds of seeds. At present, the seeds are being sold at the market for Tk 4,000 per maund.

In the coastal area of the southern region of the country, sunflower cultivation brightens prospects for women farmers.

High tides and cyclones bring salinity to lands and ruin fertility every year. Farmers lose standing rice and vegetable crops due to tidal surges in the region. Sea-level rise is also intensifying salinity making farming many traditional crops increasingly difficult.

Local Government Initiatives on Climate Change (LoGIC) project is working to support the most climate-vulnerable women to build resilience against climate change by enabling them to undertake local-led climate-adaptive livelihoods by providing a Community Resilience Fund (CRF).

The joint initiative with the government of Bangladesh, EU, Sweden, UNDP, and UNCDF brings new technologies, helps women to build capacity, and provides start-up support with risk financing to build confidence in the economic and environmental return of the latest technology for adaptation. While working with the lowest tier of local government institutions, LoGIC ensures leased land, agricultural aid, business development plan, and relevant training.

After community consultations, Sima, a resident in Khulna, and other women farmers have invested in more climate-resilient crops like sunflowers, which produce oil-rich seeds for cooking.

Through Community Resilience Fund support, Sima invested in saline-resistant sunflower cultivation, which is more climate-adaptive than the traditional crops that she wants to avoid. After successful cultivation, she had a good yield despite the same salinity she experienced in previous years.