The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Rangpur

Bumper production of mustard in the northern region of the country is expected this year as the farmers have brought more land under mustard cultivation than the target. Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has fixed a target to produce 1,56,262 tonnes of mustard with one tonne of the crop per hectare in 16 northern districts during the rabi season and taken necessary steps in making the programme successful. Sources said the farmers have completed sowing of mustard seeds timely after harvesting the early variety of transplanted aman crop and vegetables everywhere in the region.

The DAE, armed forces, Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation and some NGOs have distributed quality mustard seeds and the commercial banks disbursed agriculture loans among the farmers to achieve the target of mustard production. Besides, the farmers have cultivated mustard in vast tract of the huge flood- ravaged char areas on the Brahmaputra and the Jamuna basins where the crop is now in full bloom.

The farmers have cultivated the crop in more land than the targeted land area to cover huge losses caused by the floods and vast char areas have been brought under mustard farming this year, DAE officials said.

The farmers got a bumper production of the crop during the last rabi season when the DAE had fixed a target of producing 1,44,443 tonnes of mustard from 1,40,236 hectares of land and the target of mustard farming was exceeded, the sources added.