Manipur Reaps Mustard Success

A mustard field

Imphal, Nov 24 : The agriculture department of Manipur has been successful in cultivating mustard on untilled soil on a large scale, and is preparing to unravel this feat to the country through a national conference early next year.

The department adopted the method five years back, and now, after seeing the success, many farmers have started cultivating mustard in their fields, immediately after paddy harvest.

Officials of the agriculture department said that this system is not practised in any other part of the country.

“The system is a success. We are introducing it at the national conference for kharif, being organised by the agriculture ministry in Delhi in February next year,” deputy director Ph. Rajendro Singh (soil chemist) and the man behind this campaign, told The Telegraph.

For documenting their success story, the department is now planting mustard plants in an area of one hectare at Maklang of Imphal West. Every detail of the process will be recorded — from the day the seeds are sown till they are harvested — for presentation during the conference, with video clippings and photographs.

The department is also hoping to support farmers in cultivating enough mustard seeds for sale outside the state and to produce mustard oil adequate for local consumption.

Last year, mustard was cultivated in 56,000 hectares and the yield was 43,600 tonnes. This year, because of floods, the area was reduced to 26,750 hectares and yield target is 50,000 tonnes.

The department had bought 200 tonnes of mustard seeds from the farmers last year, for distribution this year. The distribution target this season is 500 tonnes.

Farmers, mostly from the valley, have already taken to mustard cultivation on a large scale. From this year, the department introduced this system in the hill areas, mostly in the slopes bordering the valley. Many farmers’ self-help groups have been formed in various localities for distribution of seeds and for practising collective farming.

“The zero tillage mustard cultivation is a success and this means added income for the farmers. The results are making farmers in Maklang area very happy,” N. Ram Singh, president of a self-help group called Nongchup Imphal Loumi Sinmi Chaokhat Thourang Lup, said.

The department is hoping to achieve the target of producing enough mustard oil for the state in the next few years.

In the meantime, the department has also started experimenting with zero tillage pea cultivation. “We have sown seeds in some selected areas. If this is also successful, we will spread it throughout Manipur,” Rajendra Singh said.