Online Desk: Farmers and agriculture officials in Khulna district are expecting a bumper production of mustard as improved varieties of mustard were cultivated on a record amount of land this season.

Mustard cultivation is gaining more popularity among the farmers in the district as they got good yield as well as good price of the winter crop last year.

This season 289 hectares of land have been brought under mustard cultivation in nine upazilas and in the city.

The flourishing mustard crops have transformed the landscape, with farmers envisioning higher yields as they witness the blooming flowers.

In addition to getting seeds and fertilizers as incentives, last year’s good yield motivated farmers to bring more land under mustard cultivation, said the officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension(DAE)  who also hope that every mustard farmer will get more profit this year if the weather remains favourable.

According to DAE of Khulna district, mustard has been cultivated on 1,954 hectares of land in the district this season. Of these, mustard has been cultivated on 14 hectares in Daulatpur metropolitan area, 7 hectares in Labanchara, 305 hectares in Rupsha upazila, 250 hectares in Batiaghata upazila, 120 hectares in Dighalia upazila, 180 hectares in Phultala upazila, 420 hectares in Dumuria upazila, 160 hectares in Terokhada upazila, 28 hectares in Dacope upazila, 260 hectares in Paikgachha upazila and 210 hectares in Koyra upazila. Last year, mustard was cultivated on 1,665 hectares of land in the distict.

Meanwhile, the DAE has provided 13,600 farmers with seeds and fertilizers for cultivation of 1,820 hectares of land in the district.

Each of the 50 farmers of Daulatpur metropolitan area, 50 farmers of Labanchara, 2,000 farmers of Rupsha upazila, 1,800 farmers of Batiaghata, 1,200 farmers of Dighalia, 1,400 farmers of Phultala, 2,300 farmers of Dumuria, 1,200 farmers of Terokhada, 300 farmers of Dacope, 1,800 farmers of Paikgachha and 1,500 farmers of Koyra was given one kg of seeds, 10 kg DAP fertilizer and 10 kg MOP fertilizer as incentives.

Mustard farmers Ansar Ali, Abdus Samad and Soluar Shahid of Gopalpur village in Paikgachha upazila said the mustard cultivated in their fields has been good and they were motivated by the Agriculture Office.

Paikgachha Upazila Agriculture Officer Ashim Kumar Das said, mustard cultivation was delayed due to delay in harvesting paddy. If farmers cultivate early varieties of paddy, they will be able to cultivate mustard on time after harvesting paddy, he added.

Farmers are being encouraged to cultivate early varieties of paddy and mustard cultivation in the upazila has been good this year, he said.

Kazi Jahangir Hossain, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension, Khulna, said, farmers have been given incentives like last year to increase oil seed production. “Our field workers are constantly assisting the farmers with necessary advice. Hopefully, there will be a good yield and it will be helpful in meeting the demand of edible oil.”