Wide stretches of land in several upazilas of Tangail are now covered in sunflowers, and the look of the plants and flowers has brought smiles to farmers' faces. Growers are hoping for a bumper yield, and the agriculture office says they will profit if the weather stays favourable. The fields have flowered well this year, and when the soft early-morning sun falls on them the whole field glows golden.

Butterflies and bees are busy in the flower fields every day, collecting nectar. The sight delights passers-by and flower lovers, and from morning to afternoon visitors come from different areas to enjoy the sunflowers. Drawn by the natural beauty, young people and others of all ages come to take photographs and selfies.

On a visit, the sunflowers were seen shining on the bank of the Jamuna river in Kakua union of Tangail as dawn broke, the flowers standing tall above the green leaves as if facing the sun to greet the new day. Farmers say they hope to make a good profit from sunflowers with little capital, and the agriculture department says steps have been taken for a good yield in the coming days.

Tangail district grows a variety of fruits, crops and flowers all year round. If local farmers could be given more training in sunflower cultivation with government support, the district could develop another promising economic sector.

Farmers say sunflowers cost less to grow than other crops and have a better chance of profit. Because oil pressed from sunflower seed is rich in nutrients, market demand for it is rising day by day, and many farmers are taking up sunflower cultivation for the first time this year.

A farmer named Md Rafiqul said: "I have grown sunflowers on 1 bigha of land. I hope the yield will be good this time." Flower lovers said the golden smile of the sunflower lifts the spirits, and they hope further development is possible through modernising agriculture. In this context, they also expressed hope that the Minister of State for Agriculture, Sultan Salauddin Tuku, would bring positive change to agriculture in Tangail.

According to the Tangail district office of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), sunflowers have been grown on a total of 178 hectares in the district's 12 upazilas this year:

• Sadar: 45 hectares
• Basail: 46 hectares
• Kalihati: 8 hectares
• Ghatail: 10 hectares
• Nagarpur: 10 hectares
• Mirzapur: 10 hectares
• Madhupur: 14 hectares
• Bhuapur: 5 hectares
• Gopalpur: 5 hectares
• Sakhipur: 3 hectares
• Delduar: 20 hectares
• Dhanbari: 2 hectares

Tangail Sadar upazila agriculture officer Rumana Akter said: "Sunflower cultivation keeps increasing. On one hand oil is being produced, on the other people enjoy the beauty. Farmers are being given regular advice, training, fertiliser and seed support to encourage them. Grown by modern methods, sunflowers could become a promising cash crop for the district. This year sunflowers have been grown on 25 hectares in Tangail Sadar." (The DAE district figures above give 45 hectares for Sadar.)

Ashek Parvez, deputy director of the DAE in Tangail, said: "If the weather stays favourable, farmers will get a good yield. Farmers are being encouraged to grow this cash crop to reduce dependence on imported edible oil and to meet the demand for nutritious oil. We have stood by farmers in the field and given them an idea of improved seed varieties and modern cultivation methods. I hope farmers will get a good yield this time."

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