RAJSHAHI, Feb 1, 2020 (BSS)- Agricultural scientists and researchers
have called for promotion of four crop-based yielding pattern through the
best uses of modern technologies in the vast Barind tract for sustaining soil
fertility and crop productivity specially BARI Sharisha14.
They viewed there has been an enormous prospects of bringing harvesting
intensity coupled with increasing food production through successful
promotion of the Transplanted Aush-Transplanted Aman-Mustard-Sesame cropping
pattern. Farmers have vital role to play in this regard.
To maintain sound soil health, it could be advisable to grow mustard,
particularly BARI Sharisha14 using a different system in order to improve
compatibility between monsoon rice and upland winter crops. This would also
suit the shift in economic importance towards the winter crops over monsoon
rice.
They were addressing a farmers training and field day programme titled
“Four Crop-based Cropping Pattern Development Programme towards intensifying
cropping intensity and Yield” held at Madarpur under Gomastapur upazila in
Chapainawabganj district today.
Barind Centre of On-Farm Research Division (OFRD) under Bangladesh
Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) organised the training in order to
sensitize the farmers towards adopting the cropping pattern.
The initiative has been taken to increase agricultural production and
income of marginalised farming families of the Barind tract by adapting
climate adaptive sustainable agricultural technologies, diversifying income
generating activities and skill development.
Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture Komolaranjan Das
addressed the meeting as chief guest while Chief Scientific Officer of OFRD
Dr Akkash Ali was in the chair.
Deputy Directors of Department of Agriculture Extension Monjurul Huda
and Dr Saifur Rahman, BARI Chief Scientific Officer Dr Nazrul Islam,
Principal Scientific Officers Dr Alim Uddin, Dr Mazharul Anwar and Dr Jamir
Uddin and Senior Scientific Officer Dr Shakhawat Hossain also spoke.
They also visited some projection plots of BARI Sharisha14, a high
yielding mustard variety innovated by BRRI, that has gained popularity among
farmers in the region including its vast barind tract for the last couple of
years.
The newly innovated variety has opened up a door of boosting oil seed
production along with mitigating the adverse impact of climate change.
Additional Secretary Komolaranjan Das urged the farmers to promote the
new mustard variety for better yield to meet up the country’s gradually
increasing edible oil demand.
Dr Akkash Ali said the short duration mustard variety should be
incorporated in the cropping diversity in the region for the welfare of the
farmers in general as well as the nation.
The cash crop is now being cultivated everywhere in the region as it had
immense prospects to achieve self-reliance in oil seed production, he added.