Gopalganj farmers eye high yield of BARI mustard-18

GOPALGANJ, Mar 11: Local farmers expect a bumper production of BARI mustard-18 this season as the crop has been cultivated on a vast track of land amid the rising price of edible oil.
Some 1,545 hectares of land has been brought under BARI mustard-18 in Sadar Upazila of the district, according to sources at the local agriculture office.
About 20,000 marginal farmers have been engaged in the mustard cultivation this season.
Md Muhim Kazi, a young farmer of Char Manikdha village under Sadar Upazila, said BARI mustard-18 is a high yielding variety (HYV).
Farmers are highly benefited as spending cost is only Tk 5,000 for mustard cultivation on one bigha (52 decimal) of land.
"We got 08 maunds of mustard from the land which market price is Tk 24,000."
Mafroza Akther, agriculture officer in Gopalganj Sadar, told the FE that BARI mustard-18 is a high yielding variety which grows 08 maunds on one bigha (52 decimal) of land easily.
A total of 4,853 hectares of land has been brought under BARI mustard-18 cultivation with a production target of 7,376 tonnes this year, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Gopalganj.
Abdul Kadir Sarder, deputy director (agriculture) in Gopalganj, has told the FE that BARI mustard-18 is a profitable oil crop because farmers can harvest the crop after only 110 to 115 days of its farming.
"As one maund of mustard is being sold at a high price of Tk 3,000 in local markets, local farmers are more interested in cultivating the crop," he added.
Another farmer, Sahidul Islam Mollah, said, "I cultivated BARI mustard-18 on one bigha of land (52 decimal). The output is satisfactory. I got 08 maunds of mustard which market price is Tk 24,000."

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