BSS, Rajshahi :
Wide-ranging dissemination of agricultural information to the grassroots farmers through effective utilization of mass media is very vital for boosting the existing farm outputs, speakers at a discussion said here Sunday.
They viewed that an effective and rapid dissemination of the latest agricultural information to the farmers through newspapers, television, and community radio and information communication technology could increase crop production to ensure national food security.
The observation came at a daylong seminar styled “Effective Utilization of Mass Media for Agricultural Information Dissemination” at NCDP conference hall in Rajshahi city.
The Intensification of Agriculture Information Service (IAIS) in 10 Agriculture Regions Project of the Agriculture Information Service under the Ministry of Agriculture organised the seminar.
More than 35 officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation, Soil Resources Development Institute, Bangladesh Betar and different other government and non-government organisations concerned attended the programme.
Additional director of DAE Nurul Amin and Deputy Director Abul Kalam Azad addressed the introductory session as chief and special guests respectively with director of IAIS Project Anjan Kumar Barua in the chair.
AIS Regional Director Amirul Islam welcomed the participants.
Horticulturist Dr Saifur Rahman presented a keynote paper titled “Role of Electronic Media for Agricultural Information Dissemination” while AIS Regional Director Abu Sayem presented another paper titled “Print Media: Effective Tool for Agricultural Information Dissemination” in the technical session.
The discussants suggested the official concerned to earn skills of building friendly relations with the media for a purposeful dissemination of agriculture information.
The resource persons also informed the participants about the ways for a quicker and effective dissemination of the agricultural information and latest technologies utilising the country’s mass media.
Besides, they laid importance on making the integrated crop management method popular among the growers level through the village level ICT centers.
The AIS has setup some agriculture information and communication centers in the country, which are gradually being popularized.
The centers were enriched and equipped with modern agricultural information and communication technologies aimed at providing necessary information to the targeted farmers timely and accurately.
