CHAKWAL, Dec 18: Though the land of Chakwal district is fertile for a bumper crop of mustard, it is cultivated only on a limited area. The crop could yield 400kg per acre seeds but it yields only 200 to 250kg in Chakwal thanks to the negligence and apathy of the authorities concerned. The major reason for this poor yield is illiteracy as poor farmers do not know the requisites for a bumper crop.

They only cultivate this crop to get hay for their animals. Some rich farmers do sell the seeds in the market to extract oil from them, but this is done at a minor scale.

Though the agriculture department gets budget for training the farmers, it does nothing to make them aware of the methodology to enhance the crop’s per acre yield.

The farmers do not know what kind of land would be better for the cultivation of mustard, nor are they aware of the exact season for its cultivation.

They are even not told of the fertilisers necessary for this crop. Most farmers of Chakwal do not have the necessary agricultural implements for sowing the seed. They sprinkle the seeds in the fields by hand as a result of which the plants do not sprout properly.

The rains that are poured only in a limited scale (200 to 250mm) in Chakwal also have a major share in the poor production of mustard. If monsoon rains occurred well and if there is rain in December and January, the crop will bloom.

Mustard oil is used in different products besides massaging the hair and body. The budding stems of the crop are used as greens (saag), cooked in villages almost on daily basis. Saag, which apparently looks a free of cost dish, consumes much of the time and other items inevitable for a delicious dish.

This typically Punjabi dish tastes really nice with Makkai Ki Roti (maize bread) and a dollop of fresh butter.

District Officer (technical) in agriculture department Khalid Javed said that three kinds of mustard is cultivated in Chakwal. He said that the best brand is ‘Chakwal Sarson’.

Replying to question he claimed, “We train farmers by visiting them in every village”. He said that this year the target of the cultivation of mustard was 35,000 to 40,000 acres which had been achieved. He suggested that farmers should use one bag of DAP fertiliser and one bag of Urea fertiliser for per acre so that a bumper crop of Sarson could be acquired.