Thakurgaon farmers likely to see another bumper mustard crop
A blooming mustard field at Farabari village in Thakurgaon Sadar upazila offers a captivating sight as the district awaits another bumper production of the profitable winter crop.Photo: STAR
Farmers and agriculture officials in Thakurgaon are expecting a bumper production of mustard this season as plants have grown well everywhere in the district due to favourable weather condition. Mustard cultivation is gaining popularity among the farmers in the northern district as they got good price of the crop in last 2/3 years. The farmers have cultivated mustard on 5,625 hectares of land this season against the target of 5,406 hectares fixed by the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), officials said. Of the land, 1,825 hectares in Thakurgaon Sadar upazila, 750 hectares in Pirgonj upazila, 800 hectares in Baliadangi upazila, 1,700 hectares in Ranishankoil upazila and 550 hectares in Haripur upazila have been bought under mustard cultivation. The farmers have cultivated mainly four varieties of mustard--BARI Sharisha 9, BARI Sharisha 11, Tori 7 and Bashori (Indian). However, mustard cultivation has faced a setback at the initial stage due to dense fog and severe cold weather in the district, said Abdul Majid, Crop Product Specialist (CPS) of Thakurgaon DAE office But the farmers successfully overcame the adverse situation by following the directive of DAE officials, he said, adding that maximum plants have already passed pod formation stage. The mustard plants are now growing well and all are expecting a bumper production this season, Majid said. Favourable weather and its lower production cost than other Rabi crops have encouraged farmers to cultivate mustard on more and more land, DAE officials said. The DAE authorities are now campaigning among the farmers for cultivating hybrid varieties of mustard invented by BARI between the gaps of Aman and Boro to boost economy. During a recent visit to different areas of Sadar and Baliadangi upazilas, a number of farmers told The Daily Star that they would start harvesting the crop in the second or third week of this month. Hekmat Ali, a farmer of Dakkin Bathina village in Sadar upazila, said he cultivated mustard on one bigha land last year spending Tk 2,800 only while got six maunds of mustard. He sold per maund of mustard at Tk 1,700 and made a profit of Tk 7,400. Hekmat cultivates mustard on two bighas of land this season and expects a bumper production. Farmers and officials said October to mid-November is the suitable time for mustard cultivation while it takes 65/70 days for getting yield.
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