BSS, Rangpur :
Experts at a farmers’ field day have stressed for adoption of the latest technologies and mechanisation of farm activities to increase crop output for ensuring national food security under adverse climate.
The farmers have already been getting better results and earning more profits from farm activities through large-scale adoption of the latest and proven conservation agriculture (CA)-based technologies in increasing crop output at reduced costs, they said.
They were addressing the field day jointly organised by RDRS Bangladesh with Dinajpur Wheat Research Centre (WRC) for exhibiting benefits of CA-based technologies in farming wheat and maize with intercropping of other crops in village Dakshin Pirerhat under Gangachara upazila on Thursday afternoon.
The NGO has been disseminating the latest technologies among farmers and inspiring them for mechanisation of agriculture under its Sustainable & Resilient Farming System Intensification (SRFSI) Project in Dinajpur and Rangpur districts.
The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) has been extending financial assistance and International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) technical cooperation in implementing the project.
Chief Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute at Burirhat in Rangpur Dr Abdul Monnaf attended the occasion as the chief guest with local social worker Shawkat Ali in the chair.
Gangachara Upazila Agriculture Officer Abdullah Al Mamun and Senior Scientific Officer of Dinajpur WRC Akbar Hossain addressed the ceremony as the special guests.
One-hundred participants including farmers, officials of the DAE, BRAC, ACI Company, public representatives, civil society members and journalists took part in the field day moderated by Senior Agriculture Officer of SRFSI Project Anup Kumar Ghosh.
Agriculture and Environment Coordinator of RDRS Bangles Mamunur Rashid delivered welcome speech in the ceremony and narrated objectives of the project.
He also elaborated about the CA-based technologies and comprehensive crop management procedures adopting these technologies for saving crop cultivation time, irrigation water, crop cultivation costs and to get increased crop production.
The farmers have successfully cultivated BARI Gom 26 and 26 variety wheat and maize with intercropping of other crops through directly sowing seeds adopting the CA-based technologies and using bed planters and power tiller operated seeder machines with no tillage or single tillage this season, he said.
Farmers Rabiul Islam, Shafikul Alam, Nazrul Islam, Yunus Ali and Alamgir Hossain narrated as how they cultivated wheat and maize with ‘lal sak’ intercropping adopting bed planting, strip tillage and reduced tillage methods using two-wheel power tiller operated seeder machines and bed planters.
The experts stressed for priority on helping farmers in getting maximum benefits by reducing production cost and increasing crop intensification through adopting the proven CA-based and resource conservation technologies, machineries and devices.
The chief guest said the technologies will increase wheat and maize yield at reduced cost, save water, fuel, facilitate crop intensification, quality seed and better germination with residual moistures, planting machine prototypes, inputs and remunerative markets.
