Photo : Messenger
Farmers in Chatmohar witnesses an unprecedented bumper crop of mustard this season, coupled with lucrative market prices, igniting optimism among local farmers. Seizing the opportunity, farmers swiftly transition to planting boro rice seedlings, leveraging the profits from the successful mustard harvest.
Reports from the Chatmohar Upazila Agriculture Office indicate that this season's mustard cultivation surpassed expectations, with cultivation spanning over 8,630 hectares, surpassing the targeted 6,750 hectares by a significant margin of 1,880 hectares.
Venturing into the heart of farming communities, it's evident that farmers are actively engaged in harvesting, threshing, and drying mustard crops. Many opt to process the harvest in the fields before transporting it to the markets, where each maund of mustard fetches approximately 2,500 taka, ensuring a handsome return for their toils.
Mozahar Ali, a prominent mustard farmer from Goudipur village, shares his success story, boasting a yield of four to five maunds per bigha, translating to a profit margin of around six thousand rupees per bigha. He emphasizes the pivotal role of mustard sales in financing subsequent boro cultivation endeavors.
Echoing similar sentiments, Nurul Islam, another local farmer from Ankutia village, celebrates his fruitful harvest, affirming the financial support mustard sales provide for his rice cultivation expenses.
Commenting on the prevalent cultivation practices, Chatmohar Upazila Agriculture Officer AA Masum Billah attributes the success to the cultivation of various mustard varieties, including Bari 9, 14, 17, 18, Veena 4 and 9, and the local Tori variety. Favorable weather conditions have contributed significantly to this season's exceptional yield, with an average of 1.5 metric tons per hectare, elevating farmers' enthusiasm for investing in boro cultivation.
The resounding success of mustard cultivation not only reflects the resilience of Chatmohar's farming community but also underscores the pivotal role agriculture plays in driving economic prosperity at the grassroots level.
Messenger/Faria
