A view of a mustard field at Chhoto Shahtoli village in Chandpur Sadar upazila-FE Photo Farmers in Chandpur and Magura districts are expecting a bumper yield of mustard this season thanks to favourable climatic conditions.
Our Chandpur correspondent reports: Farmers in Chandpur district are upbeat with a good prospect for bumper mustard harvest this season as the fields are currently in full bloom due to good weather conditions.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Chandpur, a total of 3,950 hectares of land were earmarked for mustard cultivation in the district this season with a target to produce 5,925 tonnes of mustard seeds. Of the total, mustard was cultivated on 3,627 hectares of land in the district. It would take some more weeks for the mustard plants to attain full maturity and then the growers would be able to take away home their hard-earned crops- expect farmers of different areas in Haimchar and Chandpur Sadar upazilas.
DAE sources said the oilseed was cultivated on 1,500 hectares of land in Matlab Uttar upazila, 650 hectares in Hajiganj upazila, 485 hectares in Kachua upazila and on 460 hectares in Chandpur Sadar upazila-which are the major mustard producing areas of the district. While visiting some areas, this correspondent saw beautiful yellow mustard plants tossing heads in gentle air in vast areas in Raj Rajeswar, Ashikati, Loadergaon, Chhoto Shahtoli, Shah Mahmudpur, Mandari and other areas in Chandpur Sadar and Haimchar upazilas.
Talking to the FE, a farmer named Shahidullah Bondukshi (55) in Raj Rajeswar area said every year he cultivates mustard.
This season he is expecting a bumper harvest of the crop in his fields (20 decimals of land) as a favourable weather condition is prevailing.
Easy availability of seeds and timely advice from agriculture officials and absence of foggy atmosphere are also giving him and other farmers a good inspiration.
The same views were echoed by Shafiqur Rahman of Chhoto Shahtoli and many other farmers in Ashikati, Shah Mahmudpur, Kolyanpur, Rampur, Moishadi, Bishnapur, Ghoserhat and Mandari and a few other areas in Chandpur Sadar.
In Haimchar upazila, Hashem Mia (50), a mustard farmer in Majher Char, told the FE he is also expecting a good harvest of mustard seeds from his field as there is no rainfall nor foggy atmosphere or any other inclement weather.
He would be much benefitted financially by selling mustard seeds at Tk85.00-90.00 per kg and mustard oil and finally oil cake as fodder at Tk50-60 per kg.
Talking to the FE, Chandpur Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer Tapan Roy said, '' Mustard yield is satisfactory in Chandpur Sadar till today as there is no rainfall nor any natural calamities as yet. If this weather condition continues, the farmers are most likely to achieve a bumper yield of mustard.''
Veteran agriculturist Abdul Mannan told the FE, "Mustard oil should be taken as safe edible oil by all as it is much better for health, avoiding soybean oil which is not at all an edible oil item for kitchen. Many renowned doctors also say so."
Our Magur correspondent reports: The vivid scenery of mustard plants in full blossom in the agricultural landscape of the district has raised a hope for relatively better yield- especially a bumper one- this season among the growers.
Farmers' sources said an outstanding success has been achieved in producing BINA 11 variety mustard in the district, whose credit mainly goes to Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), Magura.
BINA sources informed the FE that production of BINA 11 variety of mustard is 5.5 maunds per bigha as against 2.5 maunds in the cases of the common varieties.
Moreover, this variety is a short-duration one as it takes only 70 days for production as against 80 to 85 days in the cases of the common varieties.
Alterneria blight is a very common disease for mustard. But BINA 11 mustard is less vulnerable to this disease.
Director general of BINA Dr Md Abul Kalam Azad said, "Every year we spend about Tk 300 billion (Tk30,000 crore) for importing edible oil. The government has a target to reduce this expenditure by 40 per cent within the next five years. Expansion of BINA 11 variety mustard can play a positive role in achieving this target saving a huge amount of foreign currency."
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