Sirajganj Correspondent:
The crop fields of Tarash, Ullapara, Shahjadpur, and Salanga regions of Sirajganj, where the Chalanbil is prevalent, are now dazzling in yellow. Yellow and yellow as far as the eye can see. Just looking at them fills the mind. And bees and bumblebees are fanning the fields adorned with yellow flowers. Their buzzing also makes the farmers happy. Along with the farmers' joy, beekeepers see immense potential. Like every year, this time too, honey farmers have come from different parts of the country to collect honey focusing on the mustard flowers of this region. They are enjoying the honey collection festival. Beekeepers are spending their time busy collecting honey by setting up bee boxes. Along with collecting honey, farmers have also started selling honey directly from the farms. Farmers and beekeepers are dreaming of making a profit around mustard.
According to the information of the Sirajganj District Agricultural Extension Office, a record amount of mustard has been cultivated in Sirajganj district this year. Mustard has been cultivated on 86,460 hectares of land in 9 upazilas of the district. Beekeepers from different parts of the country have come to this district to collect honey from mustard flowers. They have started collecting honey by getting bee boxes next to the mustard fields. This year, 1,500 beekeeping boxes have been installed in different fields of Sirajganj district. This time, the target level of honey collection in the district has been set at 382 metric tons.
On the ground, it was seen that the crop fields of the district are covered in the yellow of mustard flowers. There is only yellow and yellow everywhere. The beautiful beauty of the mustard flowers swaying in the wind is captivating the minds of people and also brings joy to the minds of farmers. Bee farmers are also dreaming about mustard flowers. They are spending their time collecting honey to get honey boxes. Farmers have collected mustard flower honey and sold it in different parts of the country. Bee farmers say that the season has started for some time now. We have started collecting honey by setting up boxes. If the weather is good, we will be able to collect honey this year as well as every year and make a profit. The farmers said that honey can be collected until the mustard flowers fade.
Harun Ur Rashid, an entrepreneur who collects honey in the Udhunia mustard field, said, "Since a large amount of mustard is cultivated in our upazila, every year beekeepers from different districts collect honey by placing boxes here. We collect honey from here and supply it to different parts of the country. We are also selling pure mustard flower honey online."
Sirajganj Agricultural Extension Department Deputy Director A. Ja. Md. Ahsan Shahid Sarkar said, farmers are getting interested in mustard cultivation due to good yield and satisfactory prices. Honey collectors, who are focused on mustard, are collecting honey by placing boxes in various crop fields in Sirajganj. Traders are also making profits by collecting honey. This year, a target of 382 metric tons of honey has been set in Sirajganj district and it is expected that the target will be exceeded.
The official also said that many people believe that bees are responsible for poor mustard yields. In fact, this is not true. The more honey production in mustard fields, the more pollination will occur by bees. As a result, mustard production will also increase.