Mustard cultivation gains momentum in East Singhbhum

Jamshedpur: Dr. Man Singh, Director of the Directorate of Rice Development, Government of India, conducted a site visit to Barabanki Gram Panchayat in Jamshedpur block. The visit was part of the inspection of mustard seed distribution under the Food and Nutrition Security Krishonnati Yojana, implemented by ATMA. This scheme provided farmers with 100% subsidized mustard seeds, which were cultivated on 8 hectares of land designated as a demonstration cluster by 20 farmers in the village.

During the visit, farmer Gundu Mahto of Barabanki village, who received a tractor-operated rotavator on 50% subsidy, interacted with officials. Discussions covered the benefits of the subsidy and the implementation of the scheme.

In Godgoda village under Devghar Panchayat, Dr. Singh met with farmers who had received mustard seeds through the Birsa Crop Expansion Scheme. Around 70 farmers cultivated mustard on approximately 10 hectares in this area. Dr. Singh emphasized technical compliance, advising farmers to increase the spacing between plants during the next sowing season to ensure optimal growth.

The District Agriculture Officer shared details about additional agricultural inputs, including seed treatment, nano urea, and PSB, provided free of cost to farmers. It was also informed that Dr. Singh’s site visits, scheduled from January 8–10, 2025, would cover Jamshedpur, Bodam, and Ghatshila blocks. These visits aim to assess crop conditions, inspect ongoing demonstration projects, and interact with beneficiary farmers to evaluate the impact of the schemes.

The inspection team included Suraj Singh, Technical Assistant from the Directorate of Rice Development, Patna; Bibek Birua, District Agriculture Officer; Geeta Kumari, Deputy Project Director; Praveer Kumar, Block Technical Manager; and Lakshmi Soren, Assistant Technical Manager, along with beneficiary farmers.