RAJSHAHI, Feb 11, 2020 (BSS) – Net house seed-potato farming has been
gaining popularity in the region as farmers are seen showing much interest in
multiplying the tissue-culture based potato after the best uses of modern
technology.
Acreage of the modern farming method has been enhanced significantly for
the last couple of years due to its better output.
Talking to BSS here Mijanur Rahman Kazi, general secretary of Seed
Potato Growers Cooperative Society, said around 550 seed growing farmers were
very happy at their satisfactory yield achieved through using the net-house
farming method last year.
He said farming of foundation seed of potato through using tissue
culture technology and net-house system has gradually been gaining popularity
everywhere in the region.
The private entrepreneurs are showing interest in boosting the mother
potato-seed production locally after using modern technology instead of
depending on the local varieties.
Rahman said the potato growers are also showing their interest in
cultivating potato through using the foundation seed as they have been
reaping more yields.
Professor Dr Monzur Hossain of Botany Department in Rajshahi University,
who is a pioneer in innovation of tissue cultured saplings in the region,
said they were disseminating the developed technology to both the private and
public level seed producing farms.
“We can reduce dependence on imports through enhancing domestic
production through proper and best uses of the modern technologies in the
farming and the tissue culture is one of the potential and proven
technologies,” he said.
Prof Hossain also said cultivation of the cash crop through tissue
culture has brought a silent revolution in the agricultural sector in many
areas of the country. In addition to comparatively higher production and
hygienic, the tissue culture seed was 100 per cent virus and disease free,
healthy, high quality and environment-friendly, he informed.
Potato production could be enhanced at least 50 percent on the existing
acreage if only the quality seed were ensured among the growers. Scores of
farmers have changed their lot by growing quality crops through using tissue
cultured saplings.
Like the previous years, Nazmul Hossain, a commercial farmer of Duary
village under Paba upazila, has transplanted 3,500 plantlets while Jamal
Hossain of Chowbaria village 3,000 plantlets in the current season and they
were very busy nurturing their growing plantlets.
Abdur Razzaque and Sabir Hossain of Mowgachhi village under Mohanpur
upazila and Afzal Hossain of Bagmara upazila said they are very happy with
the present farming condition.
Shamsul Haque, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture
Extension (DAE), said there has been a tremendous demand for tissue cultured
plantlets in the region. Not only professional farmers, but many educated
youths, business personnel and traders have become self-reliant by using
tissue cultured saplings in this region, he added.
Farmers are producing crops or vegetables by using these plantlets and
they are harvesting sterile number of production of potato, tomato,
strawberry and other crops by using tissue cultured saplings.