GAURIPUR, Dec 22 - Cultivators of Salmara, Bandihana, Bajer Alga, Kaunmari village panchayats under Panbari area have been able to change the economic scenario of the district of Dhubri by cultivating mustard seeds in vast lands, but are hamstrung due to the absence of any help from the government, be it in the terms of support price or technical advice to further increase production.
Fazrul Haque of Machipara village sowed mustard seeds in 10 bighas of land, Tamejuddin of Salmara in 8 bighas, Nuruddin Dewani in 7 bighas, Nurbox Mollah in 6 bighas, Amjad Ali in 6 bighas, Moiser Hazi 5 bighas, Kuddus Ali 5 bighas, Hanif Ali 8 bighas, Abdul Oman 5 bighas, Kalachan Ali 5 bighas, Phulchan Ali 4 bighas, Omen Ali Skh 6 bighas, Ahad Ali 4 bighas, Abdul Hussain 6 bighas, Hazarat Ali 5 bighas, Nur Hussain 5 bighas, Ilkash Uddin 5 bighas, Lalmiya Skh 6 bighas, Jahiruddin 5 bighas, Omar Ali 5 bighas, Usuf Ali 6 bighas, Rahimuddin 5 bighas, Mondal Skh 6 bighas, Jahiruddin Skh 6 bighas while Intaz Ali and Saburuddin Ali have sowed mustard seeds in 5 and 6 bighas of land respectively.
In order to sow mustard seeds, they at first select high and alluvial soil and prepare the land carefully and apply chemical fertilisers. They purchased seed @ Rs 100 per kg from the local market and sowed them during the first part of October. For this purpose, they spent nearly Rs 2600 per bigha of land. When the plants grow 6-8 inches high, they spray 20 kg urea per bigha of land. It is interesting that they need not to irrigate the land. During the middle part of November, the seeds begin to flower. During the last part of February the mustard seeds, will become mature for plucking. The farmers will pluck the mustard plants and keep them to dry in the sunshine and when the plants are fully dry, they will separate the grains with the help of a machine or tread out the grain by cattle and remove the dust and keep them in sacks for sale.
Production of mustard seeds range from 5 to 7 maunds per bigha. The cultivators are compelled to sell their products @ Rs 1400 -1600 per maund to the non-Assamese traders. They lamented that no government agency comes to buy their product at support price. They also told this correspondent that they had never seen agriculture officers visiting their fields and nor have they ever received any advice and help from the government. As a result, they have been cultivating their land traditionally without any scientific knowledge of cultivation and the production remains limited.
