Experts at a farmers’ field day have stressed for enhanced farming of mustard adopting the new cropping pattern of short duration Aman rice-mustard or potato-mungbean-short duration Aus (pariza) rice to get more profits.They were addressing the field day organised by RDRS Bangladesh on the occasion of harvesting BARI-14 high yielding variety mustard in village Sarkerpara under Magura union of Sadar upazila in Panchagarh on Sunday afternoon.Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) for Panchagarh Nazrul Islam attended the field day as the chief guest and also inaugurated harvesting of the crop in the field of framer Mohammad Salahuddin of the village.Senior Manager (Social Organisation) of RDRS Bangladesh of Panchagarh Safkatul Alam attended the ceremony as the special guest with its Assistant Agriculture Officer Mahfuzur Rahman in the chair.A large number of male and female farmers of the area, officials of the DAE and RDRS Bangladesh, local public representatives, local community leaders and journalists were present.After harvesting the BARI-14 variety mustard, farmer Salahuddin got its 1.46 tonnes tiled rate per hectare, which is much higher than the yield rate of the traditional varieties of the crop. The experts said that the newer cropping pattern, evolved and introduced by RDRS Bangladesh, ensures sustainable crop intensification to increase food output by enabling the farmers cultivating four crops annually on the same land.Side by side enhancing crop intensification to ensure food security, the new cropping pattern improves livelihoods of the poor creating jobs during the seasonal lean period of Aswin and Kartik months by harvesting the short duration Aman rice, they said.Talking to BSS today, Agriculture and Environment Coordinator of the NGO Mamunur Rashid said RDRS Bangladesh has introduced the new cropping pattern to increase food production for attaining sustainable food security amid adverse climate change impacts.The programme is being implemented in collaboration with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University under the financial assistances of Krishi Gobeshona Foundation in Rangpur division since 2011.After getting repeated bumper production of four crops annually during the past two years, 1,750 farmers have cultivated BARI-14 mustard on 1,750 bigha land this time after harvesting short duration Aman rice adopting this cropping pattern in Rangpur division, he said. -BSS, Rangpur
