RAJSHAHI, Feb 19, 2021 (BSS) – Agricultural officials at a discussion viewed the role of mass media both print and electronic is very important towards expanding modern agriculture information among the grassroots farmers for the sake of boosting agricultural production.
They mentioned that wide-ranging expansion of modern agriculture information can be the effective means of protecting agriculture from the existing challenges like adverse impact of climate change and other natural calamities.
The farmers should be familiarized with the modern technologies through mass-media so that they can boost their farming yield through deriving total benefits of the modern technologies.
They came up with the observation while addressing a daylong seminar styled “Role of Mass Media in Expanding Modern Agriculture Information amid Covid-19 Pandemic” on Thursday.
Regional Office of Agriculture Information Services (AIS) hosted the seminar at conference hall of Regional Station of Bangladesh Betar discussing and devising ways and means on how to attain the cherished goal.
Additional Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension Sirajul Islam and its Deputy Directors Shamsul Haque and Abul Khayer addressed the meeting as resource persons disseminating their expertise on the issue.
Regional Director of Bangladesh Betar Hassan Akhter, Principal Scientific Officer of Fruit Research Station Dr Abdul Alim and Principal Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute Dr Ilias Hossain also spoke.
Regional Agriculture Information Officer Abdullah-Hil-Kafi illustrated the importance of the seminar and the e-agriculture during his multimedia presentation.
Other discussants observed that agriculture of this region is facing many challenges including climate change, labour shortage, irrigation water scarcity and increase in crop cultivation cost. So, promotion of farm mechanization has become indispensable to address the multiple problems.
They unanimously mentioned that large-scale adoption of farm mechanization can be the effective means of facing the existing agriculture related challenges in the drought-prone Barind area.
The meeting was told that the cropping intensity can be increased to 250 percent even 400 percent from the existing 200 percent through reducing the existing time gap between the two crops after the best uses of the farm mechanization.
Agriculturist Sirajul Islam said the present government under the dynamic and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has attached top priority to the agriculture sector to boost its yield to meet the country’s demand.
He told the meeting that the government has set a target of doubling the food production, while maize production to one crore tonnes from the existing 50 lakh tonnes by 2030.