Srinagar, March 29: Mustard oil seed farming is gaining popularity in Kashmir and this year the Agriculture Department Kashmir has brought 1.5 lakh hectares of land under oilseed cultivation in Kashmir during 2022-23 (Rabi season) which is a record number so far.
Over the years, the agriculture department is taking measures to further push mustard oil cultivation and now farmers have brought more land under its cultivation this year.
Director Agriculture Kashmir, Chowdhary Muhammad Iqbal said during the 2022-23 Rabi season, an area of 1.5 lakh hectares has been brought under oilseeds cultivation which is the record number so far.
He said last year, 1 lakh hectares of land, was brought under oil seed cultivation and in the year 2021, only 30,000 ha of land was under mustard oil cultivation in the valley.
In Kashmir region, oilseeds are grown almost in all areas, but the chief oil seeds producing areas are Anantnag and Srinagar.
The director said that rise in oilseed production will help in reducing the exorbitant prices of oils. “Yes, it will reduce the dependence of imports of processed Mustard Oil, thereby reducing the prices of edible oil to some extent,” Iqbal said.
“Mustard requires about 31-40 cms of water. Due to its low water requirement oilseeds fit well in the rainfed cropping system. In general, with elevated irrigation amounts, oilseed vegetative and generative characteristics resulted in statistical differences. Irrigation at critical stages of its growth increases both the number of branches and pod per plant values,” he said.
He said adoption of drought-tolerant varieties can come as rescue to the existing problem of oil seeds by plant breeding programs selection and hybridization between introduction lines
The director said that in order to enhance the production of oilseeds under rainfed as well as irrigated conditions certain strategies are to be implemented which include extending irrigation facilities, using important moisture conservation practices such as mulching, timely weed control, seed selection and proper seed rate, time and method of sowing, varietal selection and crop rotation, growing heat and drought-resistant varieties, integrated nutrient management using micronutrients, seed inoculation with Rhizobium culture, and integrated pest management and intercropping.
To realize the Prime Minister’s goal of doubling the farmer income, the Department of Agriculture Kashmir last year launched a massive campaign under ‘National Mission on Edible Oils’ for doubling the area under Oilseeds (Mustard).
The director said the mission has been successful only after the promotion of the agriculture department. He said an increase in mustard cultivation will also help in pollination and flowering of horticulture crops.
The Director Agriculture said that the main objective of the oilseed mission is to bring more and more land under the cultivation of oilseed (mustard).
Iqbal emphasized on the importance of oilseed in the agriculture sector. He said there is a great scope for this crop in the valley so far as its productivity is concerned, which is comparatively better than many other parts of the country.
He said the oil recovery rate of the mustard produced in the valley is much better than the mustard produced in some other parts of the country and these are the driving forces that the Department is taking seriously in order to increase the area under this important crop.
Earlier this year, under Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP) the Agriculture Production Department, charted out the roadmap for promotion of oilseed cultivation has been given due consideration.
The oil seed project included several interventions aimed at increasing oilseed production and productivity, with an estimated annual output worth Rs 1290 crore.
