The Thakurgaon Sadar upazila agriculture office has taken a range of initiatives to boost the production and local marketing of mustard oil, including providing oil-pressing machines free of cost to two entrepreneurs and mustard seeds and fertiliser as incentives to 2,630 farmers.
The two machines were handed over to the entrepreneurs at a programme held at the Sadar Upazila Agriculture Office on Wednesday under the Oilseed Crop Production Enhancement Project.
Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer Nasirul Alam handed over the machines to entrepreneurs Harunur Rashid of South Ratina village in Farabari and Milon Sarker of Shibganj.
Sadar Upazila Agriculture Extension Officer Abu Abdullah Muhammad Al Mujahid, Additional Agriculture Officer Nihar Ranjan Roy, sub-assistant agriculture officers and the entrepreneurs concerned were also present.
According to the upazila agriculture office, 2,630 farmers in Sadar upazila received mustard seeds and fertiliser as incentives under the project for the 2026 season. A total of 15,000 farmers across the district’s seven upazilas received the incentives.
Agriculture department data show that mustard was cultivated on 17,305 hectares of land across Thakurgaon this season, including 2,800 hectares in Sadar upazila.
With an average yield of 1.51 tonnes per hectare, the district produced around 11,031 tonnes of mustard this season. Sadar upazila alone produced around 4,228 tonnes, surpassing previous production records in the area, officials said.
The agriculture department said six oil-pressing machines have been provided across the district, including two in Sadar, to utilise the bumper mustard harvest and supply quality and healthy mustard oil to local consumers.
Officials said locally produced mustard oil could provide a healthier alternative for consumers amid concerns over adulterated edible oils and recent increases in soybean oil prices. Processing mustard locally could also increase the incomes of farmers and entrepreneurs while helping consumers save money.