The entire field is full of white flowers. Like a bed of white flowers. Bees are running to get honey from that flower. The farmers are taking those flowers with utmost pure love. Although the flower looks white, it contains black gold inside. Black seeds are produced from the flowers which is very expensive in the market. That's why onion seeds are called 'Black Gold'.
This picture is taken from Katenga village of Chaikola union of Chatmohar upazila of Pabna. Farmer Haider Ali of this village has been producing onion seeds for many years. Currently, his land is full of onion blossoms. After a few days, the seeds will be collected from the land. So he is busy taking onion flower land.
It is known that even at the end of the season, farmers producing onion seeds in upazila are taking extra care of the onion field to get very best yield. Onion fields planted with tubers for seed production are now full of white flowers. Farmers will start collecting seeds from onion flowers in the next few days. Farmers are hoping to get a good yield of onion seeds as the weather conditions are favourable.
According to Chatmohar Agriculture Office sources, 1 thousand 150 hectares of land have been cultivated in Chatmohar Upazila this season. Out of this 490 hectare of land has cultivated onion seedlings and 640 hectare of onion has been cultivated. Besides, some farmers have planted onion tubers for seed production. Farmers have already picked onion tubers from the land. In the next few days, onion seedlings will be picked. Harvesting of seeds from the planted tubers for seed production will also begin a few days later. The yield of tuber onion was found to be about 14 metric tons per hectare.
Hyder Ali, a farmer of Katenga village in the upazila, has already got success as a farmer producing onion seeds. He has been producing onion seeds for the past 20 years. In the current season, he is producing onion seeds in more than two bigha of land.
During the conversation, farmer Haider Ali said before planting onions on the land, the soil has to be prepared by plowing seven to eight times. Pesticides including TSP and potash fertilizers should be applied during land preparation. He has spent a total of Tk 1 lakh 25 thousand on two bigha land for planting tubers, periodic irrigation, weeding, maintenance, regular spraying of different types of pesticides. He expressed hope that he would be able to produce 100 kg of onion seeds per bigha if no natural calamity occurs.
Haider Ali said the normal price of onion seeds is Tk 1 and a half to 2 thousand per kg. Farmers producing onion seeds benefit more if the price is higher in some years. Some years the price of onion seeds per kg is Tk5000.This year he expects to earn Tk 2 to 2 and a half lakh.
AA Masum Billah, Chatmohar Upazila Agriculture Officer said, we are working on expanding onion cultivation. Taherpuri and Kalasnagar varieties of onions are generally grown in Chatmohar. As the current season's weather is favorable for onion cultivation, tuber onions have yielded well.
He said the farmers are benefiting due to the good price of onion. Onion seed farmers also hope to get good yield. In a few days the farmers who produce seeds from the field will start collecting onion seeds.
ZH
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