Sylhet Correspondent :
Speakers, including agriculture scientists and officials at a regional workshop in Sylhet recently laid emphasis on the need for raising production of paddy, wheat and jute seeds at grower level for better output of those.
DAE Additional Director, Sylhet Division, Krishna Chandra Hore was the chief guest of the workshop on production, preservation and distribution of improved quality seeds of paddy, wheat and jute at the farmers’ level.
DAE, Sunamganj, Deputy Director Md Zahedul Haque presided over the event.
Region and district-level officials of DAE, BADC and BARI and upazila agriculture officers took part in the workshop.
There had been no alternative to increase the yield of the agro crops. Sylhet region has also a good prospect of diversified crops through raising irrigation facilities and using high yielding variety seeds of all high-value crops, the speakers said.
Crop production can easily be raised by 15 per cent to 20 per cent only through using quality seeds. Different agencies supply only 10 per cent quality seeds and the farmers arrange the rest from their own collection. But, sometimes they cannot maintain quality for lack of proper knowledge, they added.
The workshop was told that the government has already taken up programme to ensure quality seeds, setting demonstration plots, organising field day, training for farmers and agriculture officials at the grassroots level with a view to raising the production all over the country. Besides, engaging womenfolk in the process of farming, harvesting, storing and preservation of seeds would help much achieving the goal.
The farmers at all levels should be motivated for selecting high yielding varieties of paddy, wheat and jute seeds, the speakers said, besides we need monitoring of the whole process of farming, including combating pest attack, harvest and preservation of crops and their seeds. The DAE would set up adequate demonstration plots of these crops for disseminating the advanced knowledge and technology, the speakers also said.
Since massive crop lands remain arable for years in the region, a special programme has been started for bringing more lands under farming initially.
Meanwhile, the divisional core committee has started working to bring three selected unions in each of the 39 upazilas of the four districts under the pilot programme for bringing arable lands under farming, initiated in one union in each upazila of the division last year.
Preparation of a Tk 1500 million programme in this regard has been going on, the event was told further.
