Soya bean double cropping Successful in Zalun

The soya bean double-crop trial in Zalun, Ayeyawady Region, has been successful, said U Naing Kyaw Soe, the Staff Officer of the Agricultural Research Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation.
Black gram and green gram were cultivated as the main crops in Zalun Township, but soya bean yields 30-40 baskets per acre, he said.
“Under the leadership of the Agricultural Research Department, 10 acres of soya bean were tested and grown in our town. It was successful. By growing soya bean as substituted crop, it yields 30-40 baskets an acre if soil and water are right. Our country aims for the sufficiency of edible oils by 2025. So, we are encouraging the cultivation of groundnut, sesame and sunflower. Soya is strange as cooking oil can be extracted from soya bean. If farmers are interested in linkages with companies and market prospects depending on the demand, we wanted to demonstrate that they could grow soya bean in addition to black gram,” he explained.
The double and triple cropping programmes to boost crop yield in Zalun, sponsored by the special funds of Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, have reportedly added soya bean as a new crop for the area and trial cultivations are being made. — Thit Taw/ZN/ED