Harun Gazi of Paikgachha upazila in Khulna has surprised everyone by growing mustard without any tillage in a fish enclosure (gher) in a saline area. After pumping out the water and harvesting the fish, he grew mustard on 80 bighas of the enclosure without tilling it.

Everyone is amazed to see mustard grown like this in a saline area. Agriculture officials expect Harun Gazi's enclosure to yield 2 maunds of mustard per bigha. Because disease and pest attacks on mustard flowers are high, they are doing everything they can to prevent them. If all goes well, the crop will be in Harun Gazi's hands in February.

A visit found the yellow beauty of his enclosure spreading along the bank of the Kapotaksha river. It is mainly a leased fish enclosure where fish have been farmed year after year. The shrimp enclosure lies under saline water for about nine months of the year, and after the fish are harvested the land lies idle for two to three months. This year the scene has changed, with mustard grown across the 80-bigha enclosure.

Harun Gazi, the son of the late Shahjaddin Gazi of Malath village in Paikgachha upazila, has grown BINA-9 mustard in Hitampur mouza on the bank of the Kapotaksha in Gadaipur union. He expects a good yield in the very first year.

Seeing his success, many fish farmers are showing interest in growing mustard. Harun said: "I have been running an enclosure on the bank of the Kapotaksha for about 10 years. After the fish are harvested around October-November, it lies idle for two to three months. On the advice of many people, I collected seed from the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute and grew BINA-9 mustard. Grown entirely without tillage, I think it will bring a good profit as extra income. It cost Tk 65,000."

The field has been visited by upazila nirbahi officer Muhammad Al Amin and the agriculture department. Upazila agriculture officer Krishibid Asim Kumar Das said: "The country has to import 90 per cent of its total demand for oil, so a huge amount of money goes on imports. To reduce import dependence, the present government and the agriculture department have given priority to increasing oilseed production. That is why agricultural incentives and various other kinds of support are being provided."

The official said: "I hope other fish farmers will follow farmer Harun Gazi and come forward to grow mustard as an extra crop in their shrimp enclosures. If the potential of growing mustard without tillage can be used, farmers in the area will benefit greatly."

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