Mustard cultivation has been rising in Thakurgaon like many other areas of the country as it is profitable both for farmers and honey collectors.

Honey collectors set up boxes in the mustard lands to extract honey as the yellow colour of mustard attracts the bees.

Thousands of bees collect pollen and nectar from mustard flowers which help its proper pollination, boosting the mustard yield.

During a recent visit to the mustard fields, this correspondent found a vast tract of fields had turned yellow with mustard flowers and many youths were collecting honey by keeping boxes beside those fields.

Sirajul Islam, deputy director of the Thakurgaon Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), said this year, a total of 19,790 hectares of land have been brought under mustard cultivation.

The farmers are bringing their lands under mustard cultivation following a huge demand for mustard oil which can be extracted from the seeds of mustard.

A total of 6,940 hectares of land have been brought under mustard cultivation in Ranishankail upazila alone.

During winter, honey collectors contacted the mustard farmers each year and set up their wax boxes adjacent to the field.

Nazrul Islam, a beekeeper, said “Bee helps to boost the yield of mustard and so is profitable for mustard growers and beekeepers. 6-7 days are needed to fill each box with honey.”

Abdus Sattar, a honey collector in Kashipur union of Ranishankail upazila, said “Like every year, I have set up 50 boxes in a mustard field and I am collecting  3-4.5 maund of honey each week.”

Another beekeeper Al Amin Hossain said he came here with 45 boxes 15 days ago and now he can sell honey at Tk 400 per kg.  The farmer is also happy with the good yields.

Some mustard growers said flowers keep blooming on mustard fields for one month and one and a half months and till then honey collectors collected honey from the fields.

Shahidul Islam, Upazila Agriculture officer, said Ranishankail is playing an important role among the farmers to increase the production of oilseed crops and they are doing everything to increase such types of crops.

Through the Oilseed Production Enhancement Project, they developed a strategy to grow more crops in the same land in a profitable way through providing training, he said.