Bogura mustard farmers happy with yields, prices

BSS :
Farmers of the district are happy with their mustard yields during the ongoing harvesting period while prices for the major oilseed are higher compared to what they were last season.
Agriculture officials are expecting a bumper production of mustard as the weather conditions are favourable. Farmers of the district have turned to mustard cultivation as it is more profitable.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said a total of 37,575 hectares of land has been brought under mustard cultivated in the district this year, though DAE set a target to cultivate mustard on 32,000 hectares of land.
Officials are hoping that from the total cultivated land, 63,817 tonnes of mustard and 25,550 tonnes of mustard oil will be produced this season.
Additional Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Enamul Haque said that mustard has been cultivated in about 3000 hectares of land, which is more than the target this season.
According to growers in the district, they are getting up to five maunds of mustard from each bigha of land, which costs about Taka 5,000 to cultivate.
Shahadat Alam, a farmer of Khottapara union of Shajahanpur upazila, said that he got four maunds of mustard crops in one bigha of land and the production cost was Taka 2500 to 3000.
Each maund of the mustard crop is now selling in local market at Taka 3000 to 3200.
“As I got the expected yields and prices for mustard last season, I increased the acreage this time,” he said, adding that he hopes to expand cultivation further in the coming season.
Another Farmer Akmal, who came to sell mustard at Dupchanchia Bazar in the district, said I am selling each maund mustard at Taka 3000 to 3200 in local market, so “I am very happy to get a good price for mustard cultivation.”
“I got expected production this year and the price is also good,” he said, adding that more farmers like him would engage in mustard cultivation if the current market price continues.
All kinds of support are being given to the farmers to grow mustard and it will continue, Additional Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Enamul Haque said.