Khan Sujon, Srinagar (Munshiganj)

Local farming families in Srinagar are busy harvesting mustard crops.

In areas like Arial Beel, the Padma River char, and various other locations across the upazila, mustard harvesting is in full swing. Currently, farmers are engaged in threshing and drying mustard seeds.Mustard fields in Barekhali, Madankhali, Sreedharpur, Alampur, Laskarpur, Molghar, Thoyagaon, and Birtara have yielded promising results.

According to sources, around 535 hectares of land in the upazila have been cultivated with different varieties of mustard. This year, mustard production per bigha is estimated at 7-8 maunds. Locally, mustard seeds are being bought and sold at different prices:Light brown mustard seeds at Tk 3,000 per maund.

White mustard seeds at Tk 2,800-3,000 per maundBlack mustard seeds (Rai/Chaita) at Tk 3,600-3,800 per maundFarmers’ Experiences During a field visit, it was observed that most farmers in the region have cultivated hybrid mustard varieties such as BARI-13, BARI-17, and BARI-19. After harvesting, they are busy threshing and drying mustard seeds in fields or courtyards. Many households are rushing to local oil mills to extract mustard oil.Anwar Hossain, an oil mill owner in Barekhali Bazaar, mentioned that one maund of mustard yields approximately 15 liters of edible oil. Kaushalya Rani Mandal, wife of Sreedharpur farmer Manoranjan Mandal, said her husband purchased seeds from the open market and cultivated mustard on one bigha of land, expecting to harvest about five maunds of mustard.

She expressed concern about not receiving government-supplied seeds but remained hopeful that the yield would meet household needs.Md. Kawsar Khan from Baghya Kul shared that he has cultivated mustard on 20 bighas of land in the river char areas. He noted that mustard farming is becoming increasingly popular among char farmers due to its low cost and high profitability.Government Support for Mustard Farmers

Srinagar Upazila Agriculture Officer Mohsina Jahan Torun reported that mustard cultivation covers 535 hectares in the upazila. To boost national production of oilseeds, the government is implementing a mustard cultivation project.

As part of this initiative, 30 demonstration plots have been established for high-yield mustard varieties like BARI-14, BARI-17, BARI-9, and BADC-1. Additionally, 700 farmers in the upazila have received incentives to promote mustard farming.