Rangpur farmers expect good harvest of mustard

Abdur Rahman Mintu, Rangpur :

The mustard cultivators in five districts under Rangpur agriculture region are hopeful about gaining a satisfactory harvest of the crop during the current season as a favorable atmosphere is prevailing across the region.
According to sources, growers in Rangpur agriculture region are showing enthusiasm in farming mustard in recent times due to good prices and agricultural incentives.
Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Rangpur official sources said, around 78,236 hectares of lands have been brought under mustard cultivation in five districts in Rangpur agricultural region. The districts are: Rangpur, Kurigram, Nilphamari, Gaibandha and Lalmonirhat. Per hectare production target has been fixed around 1.6 tonnes.
Asadul, a mustard grower at Alampur area of Taraganjupazila in Rangpur said,
last year, he cultivated mustard on 3 bighas of land. It cost around Tk 5 to 6 thousand per bigha. The yield was around 17 maunds. He sold his produce at Tk 3,200 per maund and earned more than Tk 51,000. This year he is optimistic of earning more dividends from the sale of his produce.
This time, he expects to get 6 to 7 maunds of mustard in per bigha of land. If the market price remains at least Tk 3400 to 3500 per maund , the farmers will be more enthusiastic about mustard cultivation, he added.
Additional Director of Rangpur agricultural region agriculturist Md. ObaidurRahmanMandal said that Farmers have been provided with seed as incentive this year to encourage them for mustard cultivation. Farmers have been encouraged by expected yield and price of mustard last year.
“We are providing all kinds of technical assistance to the cultivators of mustard. He said, mustard cultivation increases the fertility of the soil.
On the other hand, it plays an important role in maintaining the balance of the environment. Mustard is a 3 month crop. Farmers can grow mustard with less cost and less effort”, he added.
RangpurBina Officer-in-Charge Dr. Mohammad Ali said that farmers have cultivated mustard in about 11,000 hectares of land in 8 districts of Rangpur division.
Bina strengthening project and oil crop project and seeds have been provided.Farmers have distributed inputs to 58 upazilas in 8 districts of Rangpur division.
He also said that there are 668 chars in the Teesta, Dharla, Brakshraputra, Karotya rivers flowing through Rangpur, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Nilphamali, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha districts. Bina has given incentives to 1,040 farmers in all these chars. A target of 21,000 kg of seeds has been set for this.