National Desk :
Collaborative efforts of all government and non-government organizations concerned have become crucial to boost the production of oilseed and pulses to meet their gradually mounting demands in the country.
Transferring and disseminating the modern and high yielding varieties among the grassroots farmers can be the best ways of attaining desired yield in this field.
Agricultural scientists and researchers came up with the observation while addressing a daylong workshop titled “Suitable Technology Transfer of Oilseed and Pulse Crops innovated by BARI” in Rajshahi on Saturday, reports BSS.
Fruit Research Station (FRS) and On Farm Research Division (OFRD) of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) jointly hosted the workshop at FRS conference hall in cooperation with Bangladesh Oilseed and Pulse Crop Research and Development Project.
Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture Komolaranjan Das addressed the opening ceremony as chief guest with FRS Principal Scientific Officer Dr Alim Uddin in the chair.
Director General of Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute Dr Amiruzzaman, BARI Director (Planning and Evaluation) Dr Rina Rani Das, Additional Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Shirajul Islam and OFRD Chief Scientific Officer Dr Shahiduzzaman also spoke.
Project Director Dr Abdul Latif Akanda gave an overview of the project along with its objectives, implementation strategies and so far achievements in terms of field level training and motivation.
Among others, DAE Deputy Directors Abdul Awal and Nazrul Islam and Project Coordinator of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) Jahangir Alam Khan took part in the open discussion. OFRD Principal Scientific Officer Dr Mazharul Anwar welcomed the participants.
Terming the oilseed and pulses as less-irrigation consuming crops, the discussants unanimously mentioned that expanding the cash crops farming in the Barind area can be the appropriate means of lessening its gradually rising pressure on underground water.
Chief Guest Komolaranjan Das urged the attending scientists, extension officials and farmers to boost the production of pulses like lentil, black gram, grass-pea, chickpea, pea (motorshuti), winter mug-bean and pigeon-pea and oil-seed like mustard, sunflower and sesame in the region following the best use of modern technologies and natural resources.
Prospects of boosting both acreage and yield of different varieties of pulses and oilseed in the region, including its vast Barind tract, is seen bright as suitable topography and climate conditions prevail.
To materialize the existing prospects, more need-oriented measures should be adopted to boost the farmers’ level yield to meet the domestic requirement, he added.
Emphasis should be given on habituating the farmers with the modern cultivation method along with using quality seed through establishing projection plots of improved technologies for enhancing pulse output.
