BSS, Dhaka :
Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury urged the Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) and agricultural scientists of other local orgnisations to work together for promoting indigenous crop varieties.
“There are many organisations like Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to discover new varieties of rice, but the BADC should work to motivate farmers to promote indigenous verities which are more water and drought tolerant,” the minister said.
She said this while addressing a discussion meeting at BADC Bhaban in the city on Thursday. The meeting was organised to celebrate the 55th founding anniversary of the BADC, a major state-run organisation promoting agriculture.
Praising the role of BADC in supporting farmers to grow more staple food-grain, the agriculture minister said BADC should be moved ahead in line with the policy introduced by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
She also suggested that the country could develop three new high yielding varieties from the African varieties by replicating those in the BADC’s own seed multiplication farms.
Criticising the move of winding up the BADC, the minister said the present government would strengthen further the BADC so it could play a significant role in attaining food security.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture Ministry Mokbul Hossain and Agriculture Secretary Mainuddin Abdullah also spoke on the occasion.
Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury urged the Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) and agricultural scientists of other local orgnisations to work together for promoting indigenous crop varieties.
“There are many organisations like Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to discover new varieties of rice, but the BADC should work to motivate farmers to promote indigenous verities which are more water and drought tolerant,” the minister said.
She said this while addressing a discussion meeting at BADC Bhaban in the city on Thursday. The meeting was organised to celebrate the 55th founding anniversary of the BADC, a major state-run organisation promoting agriculture.
Praising the role of BADC in supporting farmers to grow more staple food-grain, the agriculture minister said BADC should be moved ahead in line with the policy introduced by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
She also suggested that the country could develop three new high yielding varieties from the African varieties by replicating those in the BADC’s own seed multiplication farms.
Criticising the move of winding up the BADC, the minister said the present government would strengthen further the BADC so it could play a significant role in attaining food security.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture Ministry Mokbul Hossain and Agriculture Secretary Mainuddin Abdullah also spoke on the occasion.
