BSS, Rangpur :
The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has fixed a target of produce 57,441 tonnes of mustard from 38,941 hectares of land in all five districts under Rangpur agriculture region during this Rabi season.
Officials of the DAE said the fixed mustard production target for the season is higher by 26,284 tonnes than the achieved production of 31,157 tonnes from 29,386 hectares of land during the last Rabi season.
Talking to BSS, Deputy Director of DAE at its regional office here Agriculturist Md. Moniruzzaman said farmers have just started sowing of mustard seed on their crop lands after harvesting early varieties of Transplanted Aman (T-Aman) rice.
The process of sowing of mustard seed will continue till the fourth week of the current month on the mainlands in all five districts- Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Lalmonirhat- in the region.
Meanwhile, sowing of early varieties of mustard seed is continuing in full swing on the char lands and low-lying riverine areas where the char people will begin harvesting of the oilseed from early March next.
“The farmers are mostly cultivating high yielding varieties of mustard like ‘Tori 7’, BARI-9, BARI-14, BARI-15, BINA-4 and other varieties of the oilseed on their lands to make the extensive mustard cultivation programme a success,” he said.
The DAE, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI), Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) and other agriculture-related organisations and banks are extending necessary assistance to the farmers for mustard farming in the region, Moniruzzaman said.
Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid said farmers are expanding mustard cultivation on more lands after getting repeated bumper productions with excellent price in recent times.
“The farmers are reaping more profits through cultivation of mustard as a cash crop adopting the popular “Short duration Aman rice-mustard-mugbean- short duration Aus rice” cropping pattern in the region,” Rashid said.
Sowing of mustard seed on vast tracts of char areas on the Dharla, Teesta, Brahmaputra, Kartoa, Atrai and Jamuna and other riverine areas is continuing in full swing now though the process will continue in the mainland till this month-end, he added.
Farmers Minhajul Islam, Sukumar Roy, Mofizar Rahman and Abdul Gani of different villages in Rangpur said they have started sowing of mustard seed on their crop lands amid favourable climatic conditions.
Farmers Aiyub Hossain, Ashraf Ali, Karim Uddin, Abdul Malek and Alamgir Hossain of different char villages in Kawnia and Gangachara upazilas here said sowing of mustard seed in nearing completion on char lands on the Teesta river basin.
Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Muhammad Ali said the government is extending assistance and technologies to farmers for enhancing the production of mustard on way to attain self-reliance.
The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has fixed a target of produce 57,441 tonnes of mustard from 38,941 hectares of land in all five districts under Rangpur agriculture region during this Rabi season.
Officials of the DAE said the fixed mustard production target for the season is higher by 26,284 tonnes than the achieved production of 31,157 tonnes from 29,386 hectares of land during the last Rabi season.
Talking to BSS, Deputy Director of DAE at its regional office here Agriculturist Md. Moniruzzaman said farmers have just started sowing of mustard seed on their crop lands after harvesting early varieties of Transplanted Aman (T-Aman) rice.
The process of sowing of mustard seed will continue till the fourth week of the current month on the mainlands in all five districts- Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Lalmonirhat- in the region.
Meanwhile, sowing of early varieties of mustard seed is continuing in full swing on the char lands and low-lying riverine areas where the char people will begin harvesting of the oilseed from early March next.
“The farmers are mostly cultivating high yielding varieties of mustard like ‘Tori 7’, BARI-9, BARI-14, BARI-15, BINA-4 and other varieties of the oilseed on their lands to make the extensive mustard cultivation programme a success,” he said.
The DAE, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI), Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) and other agriculture-related organisations and banks are extending necessary assistance to the farmers for mustard farming in the region, Moniruzzaman said.
Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid said farmers are expanding mustard cultivation on more lands after getting repeated bumper productions with excellent price in recent times.
“The farmers are reaping more profits through cultivation of mustard as a cash crop adopting the popular “Short duration Aman rice-mustard-mugbean- short duration Aus rice” cropping pattern in the region,” Rashid said.
Sowing of mustard seed on vast tracts of char areas on the Dharla, Teesta, Brahmaputra, Kartoa, Atrai and Jamuna and other riverine areas is continuing in full swing now though the process will continue in the mainland till this month-end, he added.
Farmers Minhajul Islam, Sukumar Roy, Mofizar Rahman and Abdul Gani of different villages in Rangpur said they have started sowing of mustard seed on their crop lands amid favourable climatic conditions.
Farmers Aiyub Hossain, Ashraf Ali, Karim Uddin, Abdul Malek and Alamgir Hossain of different char villages in Kawnia and Gangachara upazilas here said sowing of mustard seed in nearing completion on char lands on the Teesta river basin.
Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Muhammad Ali said the government is extending assistance and technologies to farmers for enhancing the production of mustard on way to attain self-reliance.
