The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Rajshahi

The cultivation of mustard has gradually been increasing everywhere in the country's 16 northern districts under Rajshahi Division for the last couple of years due to extra benefits.

According to farmers and officials concerned, more farmers are being encouraged to cultivate the crop as they got excellent yield and market price during the last harvesting season. The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has set a target of producing 2,45,800 tonnes of mustard from 2,45,800 hectares of land in the 16 districts during the current Rabi season. It has fixed a yield rate of the crop at one metric ton per hectare this year.

Under the programme, 21,000 hectares of land will be brought under mustard farming in Rajshahi, 23,00 hectares in Naogaon, 17,000 hectares in Natore, 10,000 hectares in Chapainawabganj, 29,150 hectares in Pabna, 80,000 hectares in Sirajganj, 17,000 hectares in Bogra and 5,000 hectares in Joypurhat districts under Rajshahi Agriculture Zone.

Similarly, 2,000 hectares will be brought under the mustard farming in Rangpur, 14,000 hectares each in Gaibandha and Kurigram, 1,000 hectares in Lalmonirhat, 500 hectares in Nilphamari, 4,500 hectares in Dinajpur, 6,500 hectares in Thakurgaon and 600 hectares in Panchagarh districts in Rangpur Agriculture Zone.

Sources said the DAE, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI), Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) and a number of NGOs have taken necessary steps to make the farming a total success in the region. Adequate training, technical assistance, inputs, high quality seeds and agri-loans are being provided to farmers under a number of programmes of different government and non- government organizations.

The DAE sources said farmers of the region have cultivated the crop after harvesting the early variety of transplanted Aman and vegetables in vast tracts almost everywhere including the huge sandy-barren char lands in the Ganges and Brahmaputra basins and their tributaries in the region.

The farmers cultivated the crop in the huge flood-ravaged char lands on the river basins. Seeding has been completed in most of the areas, as from late October to November 20 is the high time for sowing the seeds.

The concerned government and non-government organizations timely distributed adequate quality mustard seeds and the commercial banks provided agriculture loans to farmers for increasing mustard production.

Only BADC has supplied 9,800 kilograms of high yielding and quality seeds among the farmers in the region. Chief Scientific Officer of Regional Agriculture Research Center, Ishwardi Dr Jalal Uddin told BSS that Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) has released 16 high yielding mustard seeds and most of those have become popular among the growers' level.

During the last couple of years, farmers are getting yield of BARI Sharisha-11 at around 25,00 kilograms per hectare of land, which are encouraging the farmers.

"We have arranged 20 training programmes for around 600 farmers and established block demonstration on around 90 bighas of farmers' lands during the current season for making the high yielding varieties more acceptable to the growers," Dr Jalal said.