Over 2.70 lakh tonnes of mustard seed harvested in Rajshahi division

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RAJSHAHI, June 18, 2020 (BSS) – Farmers have harvested more than 2.70 lakh tonnes of mustard seed from around 1.95 lakh hectares of land in all eight districts of Rajshahi division during the last harvesting season.

This will contribute to improving the region’s economic condition besides meeting up its gradually mounting demand of edible oil.

Sudhendra Nath Roy, Additional Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), has said mustard cultivation this season has been a complete success. Suitable climate, high yielding varieties, modern technologies and government’s incentive are reasons for expected yield this season.

He said 65,000 farmers were given seeds and fertilizers worth around Taka 5.20 crore free of cost for cultivating mustard in the division under the government’s agriculture incentive programme.

In addition to the DAE, various other research and development organizations like Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) and many NGOs had taken adequate steps in collaboration with other departments to achieve the production targets.

Farmers have also become happy over their harvested mustard seed yield in the region including its vast Barind tract in this season.

Many farmers have said suitable climatic conditions, high yielding varieties and modern technologies have supported them towards getting expected yield of the seasonal cash crop making them happy.

“I had cultivated mustard on four bighas of land and harvested six to seven maunds of seed per bigha on an average,” said Sabbir Ahmed, a grower of Bijoynagar area under Godagari upazila.

He used the “Barisharisha 14” variety which is higher yielding than that of the conventional ones including “Tory 7”.

Another farmer Bachhu Mian, 45, of Amnura area in Chapainawabganj Sadar upazila, had cultivated three bighas of land under the cash crop cultivation. He got six maunds of yield after using the “Barisharisha-17” variety which is another newly released high yielding variety.

Sabbir and Bachhu, the two, among many other farmers, who have become satisfied with the harvested crop that is acreage is gradually increasing in the region.

Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) has released 16 high yielding mustard seed varieties, Dr Shakhawat Hossain, senior scientific officer of On Farm Research Division (OFRD), an organ of BARI, said.

Farmers in the barind tract comprising Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon districts are seen cultivating two of those-BARI Sharisha-14 and BARI Sharisha-17 varieties for the last couple of years.

But BARI Sharisha 14 has become popular for its bold grain, high yielding, yellow colour, oil extraction percentage high and less-water consuming characteristics, Dr Shakhawat clarified.

The yellow colour mustard flower attracts many honeybees promoting honey hunting business in the region.

OFRD’s Barind Station under its “Development of Four Crop-based Cropping Pattern in High Barind Tract project” extends fertilizer, seed, pesticides and technological support to the farmers for promoting the two high yielding varieties.

“We had established projection plots on around 70 bighas of land in the three districts this season,” Dr Shakhawat added.

Dr Hossain mentioned that the farmers were seen farming the cash crop on more lands after getting repeated bumper productions with excellent prices in recent years adopting the “Short duration Aman rice-mustard-mungbean-short duration Aus rice” cropping pattern to reap high profits.

He said mustard seed is a water-saving crop and its expansion in the Barind area is very important towards lessening the gradually mounting pressure on its underground water.