Mustard of several varieties has been sown on a record area of land in Kaliganj, Gazipur. Farmers say many are turning to the crop because prices and demand in the market are good.

According to the upazila agriculture office, mustard is grown in Kaliganj municipality and all seven unions, with a little more in Tumulia and Jamalpur unions. Besides the high-yielding BARI Sarisha-9, 14, 17 and 18 and BINA Sarisha-9 and 11, a record amount of the local Tori-7 and Maghi types has been grown.

This year mustard covers 295 hectares in the upazila, the office said. Last year 237 tonnes were produced from 150 hectares; this year's production target is 472 tonnes. The area under mustard is up by 145 hectares.

Stella Jyotsna, a woman farmer from Piprashoir village in Tumulia union, said: "I grow mustard every year. This time I got seed and advice from the agriculture officials, so the crop has done well. The weather was good too, and the yield has been very good."

Farmer Nayan Mia said: "Last year I grew it on 2 bighas and the yield was very good. This time I have grown it on twice as much land, and the yield is very good. I will try to grow it on more land in future."

Dipu Rozario of the same area said: "Last year I grew mustard on 3 bighas and the yield was very good. This year I grew it on 3 bighas again, and the yield is very good again."

Upazila agriculture officer Farzana Taslim said: "Farmers are more interested because mustard is fetching a good price. Favourable weather has given a good yield. Before boro transplanting, mustard is a short-duration crop, and a profitable one."

"Our main target is to reduce dependence on imported oil, and also to turn single-crop land into double-crop land and double-crop land into triple-crop land," she said.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.