Mustard production increases 40% in a year
The cultivation of mustard has increased by 40% to 11.52 lakh tonnes in Bangladesh during the current fiscal year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
A year ago, the agriculture ministry took an action plan to triple the cultivation of oil crops including mustard, sesame, almond, soybean, and sunflower to meet 40% of the edible oil demand locally.
The ministry also set a target to increase the cultivation of oil crops to 23.60 lakh hectares by FY24-25.
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As part of the plan, mustard cultivation was increased from 6.10 lakh hectares to 8.12 lakh hectares in the current fiscal year, according to the Directorate of Agricultural Extension.
If the price of mustard oil is calculated at Tk250 per litre, the production has increased by Tk3,000 crore in a year, as per the agriculture ministry.
The annual demand of edible oil in the country is about 24 lakh tonnes. Out of this, only 3 lakh tonnes of mustard, sesame and sunflower are produced locally, which is 12% of the demand.
The country has to meet the rest of the demand through import.
If 40% of the edible oil demand can be met locally, the country can save about Tk10,000 crore annually, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
