No alternative to quality seed for increased production: BARI DG

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BSS, Rangpur :
Director General (DG) of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) Dr Rafikul Islam Mandal has said there is no alternative to using quality seed for enhancing crop production despite climate change.
He put high importance on following the principles of seed production technology for production, preservation and management of quality seed at the farmers’ level to ensure enhanced crop production for attaining sustainable national food security.
He was addressing a farmers’ field day on “Production of Seed evolved by BARI, its Preservation and Sowing Technologies” organised at its Regional Agriculture Research Station at Burirhat in the city on Saturday as the chief guest.
Chief Scientific Officer of Rangpur Regional Agriculture Research Station of BARI Dr Abu Alam Mandal presided over the occasion.
Regional Additional Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Pratap Kumar Mandal, Director of the Tube Crop Research Centre of BARI Dr Jahangir Alam and Member of the Governing Council of BARI Khalilur Rahman Mandal attended as the special guests.
Officials and experts of DAE, Agriculture Information Service, Seed Certification Agency, Bangladesh Aeroculture Development Corporation, BARI, seed companies, male and female farmers and media workers were present. Principal Scientific Officer of Rangpur Regional Research Station of BARI Dr Hamim Reza delivered welcome speech narrating the scientific research activities conducted on seed production being in the station.
The speakers discussed the importance of producing, preserving, distribution and management of quality seed for all crops at the farmers’ levels to meet the local demand of quality seed for increasing crop production. They asked the agriculture researchers, scientists and experts for developing our own technologies for production, preservation and management of quality seed at farmers’ levels to increase crop production.
They said crop yield rates are lower in Bangladesh than the technologically advanced countries and achieving self-reliance on production of quality seed and utilisation of latest agri-technologies has become a must for enhancing crop production.
The chief guest called upon the farmers for adopting the latest agriculture technologies after enhanced cultivation of the high yielding and hybrid varieties of crops when the present time is switching over to the era of genetically modified crops.
Putting importance on using quality seed, he said there is no alternative to adoption of organic technologies in future to cope with challenges like drought, floods and salinity to keep agriculture production increasing consistently to ensure food security.
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