GAIBANDHA, Jan 29, 2021(BSS) – Improved varieties of crops released by
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) grew well on char and river
basin lands this season, showing hopes of good yield to the local farmers.
Sources said BARI set up an office named “On Farm Research Division” in the
district town in 2016-2017 fiscal year.
Later, the officials led by principal scientific officer Dr. Abdullah Al
Mahmud started motivating the farmers of chars and river basin people of
Shaghata, Fulchhari, Sadar, Sundarganj and Gobindaganj upazilas to cultivate
improved verities of crops developed by BARI.
In response, the char and river basin farmers cultivated 15 kinds of
improved varieties released by BARI on their char land and got desired yield.
Seeing their success, other farmers visited the crop lands and expressed
their will to farm the varieties on their char land and the number of farmers
is increasing gradually.
During the current season, a total of 1000 farmers farmed various types of
improved crops including cereal crops, vegetable crops and tuber crops with
the hopes of getting desired output.
The crops include foxtail millet, barley, proso millet, maize and wheat,
lentil, black gram, grass pea, ground nuts, mustard, sweet potato and potato,
sweet gourd, brinjal, tomato, onion and black cumin.
The crops grew well on the char lands and the farmers are expecting desired
output.
A number of farmers have started the harvest of few crops like sweet gourd
and brinjal but full harvesting will start in the month of February and it
would continue till last week of March, said Dr. Abdullah Al Mahmud.
Technological supports to farm the crops successfully were also provided to
the farmers by the field staff of the BARI office here, he also said.
The farmers are happy to see the crop lands which beckons a bumper
production, said Shahjamal Hossain, a char farmer of Chinir Patol char under
Shaghata upazila.
Abdul Gafur, chairman of fulchhari union parishad, said the quality of the
crops produced by the selected farmers of the BARI office here is better than
the local crops.
As a result, the farmers get much profit by selling the produces, prompting
other farmers to show more interest to cultivate the BARI-released improved
varieties on their char land, he also said.
Md. Reazul Haque, a farmer of Goghat area under Kamarjani union of Sadar
upazila, said he farmed BARI-released improved potato on one bigha of land
last season and got huge yield.
Dr. Abdullah Al Mahmud said a total of 2000 hectares of char land were
brought under the crops farming during the current season.
The scenario of the crops field on the char lands has taken a new and
attractive look, making the growers so delighted, he added.
The farmers are nurturing the crop fields as per the advices of the staff
of BARI local office in the district town to boost production, he concluded.
Deputy Director of the department of agricultural extension (DAE)
agriculturist Masudur Rahman said they were also motivating the farmers of
chars and river basin areas to cultivate various cereal crops, tuber crops,
oil seed crops and vegetables applying modern agri methods to get desired
yield and help the government achieve food security as well