BSS, Rajshahi :
Agricultural extension officials and scientists have urged the farmers to boost mung bean production after the best uses of modern technologies in the Barind area to meet up its gradually increasing demands.
Prospect of yielding additional five lakh metric tons of mug bean every year is bright in the high barind tract comprising Rajshahi, Naogaon and Chapainawabgonj districts, they mentioned.
Around one lakh bigha of land remain fallow for more than three months after the harvest of rabi crops like wheat, mustard, potato and tomato every year.
There has been enormous scope of bringing the huge land under mug bean farming in order to best uses of those alongside increasing cropping intensity amid the current water-stress condition.
They were addressing two separate farmers’ field day meetings styled “Modern Techniques of Mung bean Farming in High Barind Tract” held at Bijoynagar area under Godagari Upazila of Rajshahi and at Bohorail area under Nachole Upazila of Chapainawabgonj district yesterday.
“Extension of Mung bean Farming in bed-planting method in drought-prone area in climate changed situation” was the main theme of the events.
Regional Wheat Research Center (RWRC) of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) organized the field day aimed at motivating more farmers towards mung bean cultivation in the water-stressed condition.
A pilot project titled “Crop Intensification to Barind Area through Drought Management” supported the programme.
Deputy Directors of Department of Agriculture Extension Hazrat Ali and Saiful Islam, Principal Scientific Officer of RWRC Dr Iias Hossain, Scientific Officer Jahidul Islam and Sub Assistant Agriculture Officers Habibur Rahman and Hafizur Rahman spoke on the occasion.
Dr Ilias Hossain referred to various salient features of Mug dal production. He said: “No additional cost for fertilizer, pesticide and irrigation is needed to cultivate this sort-term cash crop”.
To make the cultivation popular and profitable at the growers’ level, the RWRC is carrying out various programmes including farmers’ motivation and training, field demonstration and supplying necessary inputs like seed.
He added that mug bean is a drought tolerant short duration crop which fitted in the drought-prone area’s environment. So, the farmers are getting high yield and crop residue is added organic matter for soil health development, he pointed out.
Deputy Director of DAE, Rajshahi Hazrat Ali said the cultivation of Mug dal has been playing a significant role in crop intensity and diversification. Because of the crop is short- term and it could be cultivated easily on the rice-based cropping pattern.
Referring to the immense prospect of the crop, he also said that if the yield could be enhanced to the expected level through successful expansion of the modern cultivation method among the growers, country’s hard-earned foreign currencies would be saved.
