M A Awlal, Narsingdi :
Farmers in Narsingdi are expecting a bumper production of mustard in the current season.
Encouraged by good yield of winter crops and fair prices during the last several years, farmers of Ripura, Polash, Shibpura, Monohardi, Balabo and Sadar upazila of the district are cultivating winter crops on larger areas of land.
Easy cultivation process and lower production cost are also a reason behind popularity of mustard cultivation among the farmers in the area, said officials and farmers. The farmers in Narsingdi district have cultivated mustard on 1480 hectares of land against the DAE’s target of 3365 hectares of 3365 hectares of land with the production target of 4787 tons, official sources said.
Of the mustard fields 580 hectares are in Narsingdi Sadar upazila, 490 hectares in Polash upazila, 365 hectares in Balabo upazila, 660 hectares in Polash upazila, 575 hectares in Monohardi upazila and 685 hectares in Raipura upazila.
Most of the lands are covered with varieties by Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI), including BARI Sharisha-9, Tori-7 and Latafat Hossain, said deputy director (DD) of the Department of Agriculture Extension office. A few local varieties have also been cultivated, office sources said.
Depending on soil condition, requires only one or tow times irrigation while about Tk 3000 is needed to cultivate the crop on a bigha (.3306 acre) of land. On an average seven mounds (one mound 37.32 kg) of mustard in produces on a bigha of land, Latafat Hossain DD said.
Although the recent dense for and severe cold weather posed threat of production fail due to alter aria spot disease on leaves and pods of mustard, the farmers successfully overcame the situation following directives of DAE officials, he said, siding that mustard crops in the district have mostly passed the pod formation stage and it sees excellent growth everywhere.
The DAE authorities are trying to persuade the farmers to cultivate high yielding varieties of mustard invented by BARI between the gaps of aman and boro to earn profit.
During this correspondent’s recent visit to different areas of Raipura upazila and Polash upazila, farmers said they are hopeful to get bumper production of mustard and harvest will begin in third or fourth week of this month. I cultivated mustard on a bigha of land last year spending Tk 2800 only and got six maunds of mustard.
BSS from Gaibandha adds: Mustard fields, which are now in full bloom in the vast tracts of land in the district, have already worn eye catching yellow looks to all with an expectation of bumper production.
The cultivation of mustard has gained much popularity to the farmers of the district in recent years for getting desired production and fair prices against the crop, DAE sources said.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Office sources said a total of 6,990 hectares of land of all the seven upazilas of the district were brought under the mustard farming during the current season with the production target of 9,087 tonnes of mustard.
Of the total, 250 hectares of land were cultivated in Sadar Upazila, 280 in Sadullapur Upazila, 360 in Palashbari Upazila, 4,650 in Gobindaganj Upazila, 430 in Sundarganj Upazila, 150 in Saghata Upazila and 350 in Fulchhari Upazila in the district.
Now, the farmers are so much busy to nurture the mustard field as per the directions of the field level sub assistant agriculture officials to get desired production against the crop.
Sub assistant agriculture officer M. Mokbul Hossain who works in the field said the farmers of the district had been showing interest in cultivating mustard in recent years after getting bumper production and better prices of the Robi crop.
District Training officer of DAE M Showkat Osman said favorable climatic condition, proper distribution of high quality seed, timely supply of fertilizers and other agri inputs to the growers and less pest attacks in the field are the reasons behind the bumper production.
Meanwhile, the commercial banks including Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank also disbursed soft loan to the growers during the season to boost production of the crop, bank sources said.
Talking to the BSS deputy director of DAE AKM Ruhul Amin said the lands owned by flood affected farmers were also brought under this cultivation this year to help them recover the losses caused by floods.
Farmers in Narsingdi are expecting a bumper production of mustard in the current season.
Encouraged by good yield of winter crops and fair prices during the last several years, farmers of Ripura, Polash, Shibpura, Monohardi, Balabo and Sadar upazila of the district are cultivating winter crops on larger areas of land.
Easy cultivation process and lower production cost are also a reason behind popularity of mustard cultivation among the farmers in the area, said officials and farmers. The farmers in Narsingdi district have cultivated mustard on 1480 hectares of land against the DAE’s target of 3365 hectares of 3365 hectares of land with the production target of 4787 tons, official sources said.
Of the mustard fields 580 hectares are in Narsingdi Sadar upazila, 490 hectares in Polash upazila, 365 hectares in Balabo upazila, 660 hectares in Polash upazila, 575 hectares in Monohardi upazila and 685 hectares in Raipura upazila.
Most of the lands are covered with varieties by Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI), including BARI Sharisha-9, Tori-7 and Latafat Hossain, said deputy director (DD) of the Department of Agriculture Extension office. A few local varieties have also been cultivated, office sources said.
Depending on soil condition, requires only one or tow times irrigation while about Tk 3000 is needed to cultivate the crop on a bigha (.3306 acre) of land. On an average seven mounds (one mound 37.32 kg) of mustard in produces on a bigha of land, Latafat Hossain DD said.
Although the recent dense for and severe cold weather posed threat of production fail due to alter aria spot disease on leaves and pods of mustard, the farmers successfully overcame the situation following directives of DAE officials, he said, siding that mustard crops in the district have mostly passed the pod formation stage and it sees excellent growth everywhere.
The DAE authorities are trying to persuade the farmers to cultivate high yielding varieties of mustard invented by BARI between the gaps of aman and boro to earn profit.
During this correspondent’s recent visit to different areas of Raipura upazila and Polash upazila, farmers said they are hopeful to get bumper production of mustard and harvest will begin in third or fourth week of this month. I cultivated mustard on a bigha of land last year spending Tk 2800 only and got six maunds of mustard.
BSS from Gaibandha adds: Mustard fields, which are now in full bloom in the vast tracts of land in the district, have already worn eye catching yellow looks to all with an expectation of bumper production.
The cultivation of mustard has gained much popularity to the farmers of the district in recent years for getting desired production and fair prices against the crop, DAE sources said.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Office sources said a total of 6,990 hectares of land of all the seven upazilas of the district were brought under the mustard farming during the current season with the production target of 9,087 tonnes of mustard.
Of the total, 250 hectares of land were cultivated in Sadar Upazila, 280 in Sadullapur Upazila, 360 in Palashbari Upazila, 4,650 in Gobindaganj Upazila, 430 in Sundarganj Upazila, 150 in Saghata Upazila and 350 in Fulchhari Upazila in the district.
Now, the farmers are so much busy to nurture the mustard field as per the directions of the field level sub assistant agriculture officials to get desired production against the crop.
Sub assistant agriculture officer M. Mokbul Hossain who works in the field said the farmers of the district had been showing interest in cultivating mustard in recent years after getting bumper production and better prices of the Robi crop.
District Training officer of DAE M Showkat Osman said favorable climatic condition, proper distribution of high quality seed, timely supply of fertilizers and other agri inputs to the growers and less pest attacks in the field are the reasons behind the bumper production.
Meanwhile, the commercial banks including Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank also disbursed soft loan to the growers during the season to boost production of the crop, bank sources said.
Talking to the BSS deputy director of DAE AKM Ruhul Amin said the lands owned by flood affected farmers were also brought under this cultivation this year to help them recover the losses caused by floods.
