In Sirajganj, fields stretching to the horizon are covered with yellow mustard flowers, swaying in the biting cold wind of Poush. This season the target for collecting honey from these flowers has been set at 404 tonnes. To meet it, more than 500 beekeepers have set up their hive boxes beside mustard fields in the district's nine upazilas. The agriculture department expects bee pollination during honey collection to raise the mustard yield.

Beekeepers say that to keep honey production going and to save the bees, farmers urgently need to be made aware of the need to stop unnecessary pesticide use on mustard flowers.

The district agriculture department says mustard has been sown on 90,550 hectares in the district this year, and the target for honey collection from it has been set at 404 tonnes.

Sharmistha Sen Gupta, agriculture officer of Tarash upazila in the Chalan Beel area, said mustard had been grown on 10,470 hectares in the upazila this time and the whole field was covered with yellow flowers. About 5,000 bee boxes have been placed to collect honey, and preparations are under way to place more, she said.

Subarna Yasmin Sumi, agriculture officer of Ullapara upazila, said mustard had been grown on 24,605 hectares there this year. Besides local beekeepers, many have come from elsewhere to collect honey from the mustard flowers, she said.

Mohammad Rezaul Haque, additional deputy director (crops) of the district Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said bees pollinate as they fly from flower to flower collecting honey, raising crop production by 15 per cent, so both beekeepers and farmers benefit. Large companies in the country buy the honey straight from the field and market it, he said. Honey sells at Tk 300 to Tk 350 a kg.

AKM Manjure Maula, deputy director of the district DAE, said mustard had been sown on more land than the target this time, and good yields are expected because farmers are using improved seed. At the same time, the department is working with the upazila administrations so that beekeepers collecting honey from the mustard flowers do not face any local problems, he said.

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