Bangladesh is trying out cultivation of a plant which various Asian regions consider a handy source of ingredients essential to health.
Perilla is an annual plant in the Lamiaceae family. It originated in Southeast Asia and has been grown in various Asian regions since antiquity, says Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).
In South Korea, perilla leaves are typically eaten with grilled meat or used as an ingredient of kimchi. In Japan, it is mainly perilla seeds that are eaten. Perilla oil is a mainstay in the cooking-oil section of major supermarkets, but it's still not very well-known in other countries, says the JETRO.
The edible oil extracted from perilla seeds contains 60 per cent omega-3 fatty acids which prevents high blood pressure, cardiac disease and diabetes, said Prof HMM Tarique Hossain of agronomy at Sher-e-Bangla Agriculture University.
It also lacks the harmful omega-6 fatty acid responsible for obesity which is found in many edible oils in the market, he said.
Agriculture Minister Mohammad Abdur Razzaque had directed officials to launch a pilot project to boost perilla seed cultivation last year, according to Md Abdul Quiyum Majumdar, an agriculture officer in Dhaka.
Since then, farmers in 45 upazilas across the country, including Nilphamari, have successfully cultivated the summer crop in collaboration with the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
The DAE officials and researchers as well as edible oil producing and marketing companies have high expectations for the crop.
Currently perilla seeds are imported, with stores in the capital selling it for Tk 2,200 per kilogramme. It was first brought to Bangladesh from South Korea a few years ago.
The National Seed Board under the agriculture ministry then registered the crop under the name "SAU Perila-1" and released it for cultivation in January 2020.
Perilla seeds were then cultivated on an experimental basis later that year by a team of researchers from Sher-e-Bangla Agriculture University led by Prof Hossain. Under the initiative, the plants were has successfully cultivated on 14 bighas of land.
"Perilla is now being cultivated on 42 acres of land across Bangladesh this year and companies like Lal Teer Seed Ltd, a concern of City Group, are increasingly showing interest in the plant," Majumdar said.
Shahjahan Mia, a farmer of Kishoreganj upazila in Nilphamari, said the DAE had inspired him to grow the crop on 30 decimals of land by providing the seeds free of cost alongside technical assistance.
Shahjahan transplanted 30-day old saplings in mid-August before harvesting the plants in early November to get 5.5 maunds (one maund equals around 37 kilogrammes) of seed.
And by processing 10 kilogrammes of seed at traditional mills in the area, he secured 3.3 litres of edible oil.
However, Shahjahan went on to say that that he would rather sell the seeds to other farmers at high prices seeing their enthusiasm to begin cultivation as well.
"Farming perilla plants is cost effective as no pesticides are required while natural rainfall is enough to meet its irrigation needs," said Bihari Chandra Roy, a farmer of Gangachara upazila in Rangpur.
Tushar Kanti Roy, an agricultural extension officer of Kishoreganj upazila who monitored the pilot cultivation project, said they are motivating farmers by arranging training programmes as 40 per cent of the seed can be processed to produce edible oil while the rest is fodder.
Habibur Rahman, agriculture officer the upazila, said perilla cultivation has added benefits as it can be harvested in early November while conventional winter oil crops like mustard seed, sunflower, and peanuts are harvested in March-April.
This provides farmers in the country's northern regions financial support in the lean period before the aman harvesting season, he added.
"If cultivation is increased, the price will come within the reach of low-income groups, which will help ensure proper nutrition in slums and rural areas," Prof Hossain of Sher-e-Bangla Agriculture University.