ATTOCK, Jan 6: The recent winter rains had a positive impact over the seasonal crops of the district, particularly the mustard crop that is in full bloom, in the month of January.
“Looking at the bright yellow mustard flowers, it seems the fields are bathed in gold,” said a local farmer.
“The bright yellow flowers blend with the dark green wheat plants, extending to the horizon…It seems ethereal,” added the farmer.
It is also worth mentioning here that the green leaves of the mustard plants are a variety of spinach and people of the area enjoy eating it.
“Beautiful for the eyes and delicious for the stomach,” said another farmer.
While mustard seeds from the plant also are used for extracting oil, for cooking and massaging.
The recent rain spell increased the chances for a bumper wheat crop in the coming season. For the locals it is a win-win situation.
It is important to note that Attock is an arid area and crops are dependant on rain.
According to agriculture officials, mustard has been cultivated on about 90,000 acres, while wheat on around 550,000 acres in the district. For the farmers, the recent winter rains were seen as blessing by local farmers because for the past few years, winter rains have been irregular.
“The rains have given farmers hope that they will achieve above average yields this year,” added the farmer.