The sunflower oil is known as healthier edible oil for patients of high blood pressure and diabetes as well as general people.[break]
According to the Office, the Golchha Organization had suggested to the Office 15 years ago to attract farmers towards sunflower farming.
The organization had expressed its desire to produce sunflower oil in Nepal at that time, but such a factory has not been established in the country yet.
Sunflower farming would be a good source of income to farmers if the farming goes commercial. Sunflower gives two fold more quantity of oil than mustard. Sunflower oil is imported to Nepal from India and Singapore, it is learnt.
Sunflower has been planted on 150 hectares of land in Morang district. A total of 1.5 metric tonnes of sunflower is produced in each hectares of land.
Similarly, sunflower has been planted on 4,000 hectares of land in neighbouring district, Sunsari, according to the Office.
Planning Officer of the District Agriculture Development Office, Morang, Basant Aryal, said farmers are crushing their sunflower seeds in a mill used for crushing mustard seeds due to lack of factory for particularly refining sunflower oil.
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