ZCZC
BSS-03
FRUIT-FIELD-DAY (with picture)
Farmers urged to cultivate new fruit varieties
RAJSHAHI, May 17, 2019 (BSS)- Agricultural scientists and researchers
urged the grassroots farmers to cultivate the fruit varieties developed newly
by Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) as those are favourite
to the consumers in general and economically viable.
They mentioned that demand of the indigenous fruit varieties is gradually
increasing as people including the richer-class ones are adopting those
consciously instead of the foreign varieties. So, importance should be given
to boost the local varieties to meet up the gradually mounting demands.
They came up with the observation while addressing a field day on BARI
Jamrul-3 held at Fruit Research Station (FRS) in Rajshahi yesterday
afternoon. More than 100 farmers and others concerned joined the meeting.
Rajshahi FRS developed the variety in addition to the earlier six ones like
BARI Papaya-1, BARI Litchi-1, BARI Batabilebu-3, BARI Kul-1, BARI Kul-2 and
BARI Kul-3, which have gained popularity everywhere in the country for the
last couple of years in terms of production and farmers earning.
Additional Secretary to Agriculture Ministry Komolaranjan Das addressed the
meeting as chief guest while Chairman of Barind Multipurpose Development
Authority Dr Akram Hossain Chowdhury spoke as guest of honour with Dr Alim
Uddin, Principal Scientific Officer of FRS, in the chair.
Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension Shamsul Haque, Chief
Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Dr Aminul Islam,
Principal Scientific Officer of BARI Dr Mazharul Anwarul and Principal
Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute Dr Ilias
Hossain also spoke on the occasion.
Giving a salient feature of the BARI Jamrul-3 along with its benefits Dr
Alim told the meeting that the station had first become successful with the
breakthrough of developing the BARI Papaya-1 in 1991 followed by five other
varieties and the farmers are using the variety widely by virtue lucrative
size, colour and market price of those.
He says Rajshahi and its adjacent areas have been regarded as the country’s
most prospective fruit producing region. Production of fruit is one of the
major income-generating activities in the region, he added.
In his remarks, Komolaranjan Das said that people are becoming increasingly
interested in horticulture and planting various fruit saplings around their
homesteads or nearby open spaces.
This trend has created huge demand for saplings of fruit bearing and other
trees in the area, he added.
Fruit farming becomes most profitable than other crops in recent years
bringing fortunes to thousands of farmers and commoners in the region during
the past few years.
In terms of food and nutritive values green and ripe fruits are vital as
these are enriched with enormous vitamin A, B, C, calcium and iron which are
essential for human body irrespective of age and sex. So, the boosted up
fruit farming has become helpful for the society as a whole.
BSS/AH/MR/1214 hrs