BSS, Rangpur :
Experts at a view-exchange meeting here with farmers have called for mechanisation of agriculture sector to make farm-activities more profitable.
Performance Motors Limited (PML) organised the meeting marking the exhibition of ‘Swaraj’ tractors at a local hotel on Monday. Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) SM Asharf Ali attended the meeting as the chief guest with Deputy Manager of PML Shahriar Mahmood in the chair. Principal Scientific Officer at Burirhat Farm of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) in Rangpur Dr M Badiuzzaman attended it as the special guest. Assistant Regional Manager of PML Abdul Awal conducted it.
A number of farmers, officials and experts of the DAE, public representatives, journalists and elite were present.
Shahriar Mahmood highlighted the benefits of uses of ‘Swaraj’ tractor.
The chief guest said that the present government has given importance on massive mechanisation in agriculture sector to boost crop production.
He called upon the farmers for using power tillers, power threshers, combine harvesters, crop reapers and seeders.
Expanded cultivation of medicinal plants underscored
Health experts at a workshop have laid emphasis on expanded cultivation of medicinal plants and their post-harvesting management adopting eco-friendly technologies to preserve their medicinal values.
They made the observation at the daylong workshop styled ‘Cultivation of Medicinal Plants and Their Post Harvesting Management’ held at the hall room of Rangpur Public Library in the city on Monday. Bangladesh Ayurvedic Medicine Manufacturers Association (BAMMA) jointly with Medicinal Plants and Herbal Products Business Promotion Council (MPHPBPC) organised the workshop with assistance of the Ministry of Commerce.
Divisional Director (Health) Dr Mozammel Hossain attended the workshop as the chief guest with President of BAMMA Dr Selim Mohammad Shahjahan in the chair. Superintendents of Drugs of the Drug Administration Dr Nargis Akhter for Rangpur and Abdul Malek for Thakurgaon and former Chairman of Rangpur Sadar upazila Mostafizur Rahman Mostafa addressed the workshop as special guests. General Secretary of BAMMA ABM Monirul Islam, its Rajshahi Divisional Chief Hakeem Didar Chowdhury, Managing Director of JNT Pharmaceuticals (Unani) Rabiul Islam, also spoke.
Principal of Modern Unani Ayurvedic Medical College and Hospital Abdur Rab Khan, its Assistant Professor Dr Moniruzzaman and Lecturer of Dr Abdul Ghani Unani Medical College and Hospital Md Abdul Hye conducted the workshop as resource persons.
Taking part in the open discussion, the speakers stressed on cultivating medicinal plants adopting proper scientific methods, conserving and re-propagating endangered medicinal plants for preserving their medicinal values, improving bio-diversity and ecology.
They also expressed concern over extinction of many species of medicinal plants and emphasised the essence for identifying, collecting, planting, nurturing and re-propagating of those at farmers’ levels for preserving their cosmic, genetic and medicinal values.
The chief guest laid emphasis on conservation of medical plants to promote the herbal medicine sector for welfare of humankind side by side retarding extinction of many birds, beneficial insects and animals those utterly need medicinal plants in their habitations.
He called upon the manufacturers of Ayurvedic, Unani and Homeopathic medicines for producing these drugs ensuring the best quality saying that there was no alternative to standard medicines in curing of diseases.
