A few number of sunflower cultivation entrepreneurs in Chuadanga have started to cultivate sunflower in Chuadanga district this year as the source of edible oil commercially.
According to Chuadanga District Agriculture Extension sources, about 3 hectares of land have been taken under sunflower cultivation this year by the entrepreneurs. The department are trying to motivate farmers for cultivation sunflower and mustard minimizing edible oil of themselves.
Of the sunflower cultivation
entrepreneurs, Fatema Johora of village Baka in Jibannagar uapazila of Chuadanga district has been cultivating sunflower flowers for the first time in Jibannagar upazila.
This woman entrepreneur said that it is being cultivated to motivate and to encourage other farmers to meet their own demand of edible oil. She cultivated Bari-3 varieties of sunflowers on 3 bighas land at Banka village in Jibannagar upazila of the district.
The farmer can harvest sunflower seeds at home within 90 to 105 days of cultivation. A mature sunflower plant is 90 to 110 cm tall. If there is no damage due to natural calamities, then 6 to 6.5 maunds of sunflower seeds are available per bigha of land, sources added.
About18 kg of sunflower oil can be produced from one mound of seed. Oil is sold at the price of Tk 220 to Tk 280 per kg in the market. In addition to sunflower oil, trees are used as fuel, it is learnt.
Assistant Agriculture Officer of Jibannagar Upazila. Arif Hossain said that Fatema Zohra is well known as a woman agricultural entrepreneur. She always cultivates new crops. As a part of this, she cultivated sunflower flowers in the area.
Bevash Chandra Saha, Deputy Director of Chuadanga District Agriculture Extension Department said, agriculture department has been trying to motivate the farmers for sunflower cultivation meeting the demand of edible oil along with mustard cultivation.
