Raiganj: A farmer from Raiganj in North Dinajpur district has successfully reaped high profits by adopting an intercropping system of mustard and maize under the guidance of district agricultural officials. Encouraged by this success, the Agricultural department now plans to promote this method among other farmers to ensure better yields and profitability.
Pradip Shil, a farmer from Bhattadighi in Bahin Gram Panchayat, shared his experience, stating: “Following the guidelines of our district agricultural officials, we planted mustard seeds on one bigha of land in early December. Then, on the same plot, we cultivated maize using Smart Sustainable Agricultural (SSA) process equipment. We have already harvested 2 quintals of mustard seeds and soon, we expect to reap around 20 quintals of maize from this plot. This intercropping system has provided us with significant financial benefits.” According to district agriculture officials, the mustard-maize intercropping system offers several advantages. It enhances soil fertility, expands the cultivation area, protects crops from pests and worms, and reduces production costs, making it a sustainable and cost-effective farming practice.
Srikanta Sinha, Assistant Director of Agriculture, North Dinajpur, stated: “Following our directions and using SSA equipment, Pradip Shil has successfully gained high profits from intercropping.
Currently, mustard and maize are cultivated separately on 70,000 and 50,000 hectares of land in our district, respectively. If farmers adopt intercropping on a combined 1,20,000 hectares of land of the district, they could collectively earn an additional Rs 1,080 crore. Our department plans to raise awareness and encourage farmers to implement this method across the district in the coming seasons.”