Promote consumption of OFSP among children: Experts

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RANGPUR, April 18, 2017 (BSS) – Experts at a function here today called upon the guardians to promote consumption of orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) by their kids to protect them from night blindness disease and fill up their vitamin deficiency.

They also advised the guardians to come forward to feed their children with the highly nutritious OFSP having huge amount of beta-carotene and zinc essential for properly building their body and making them healthier.

They came up with the opinion at a guardians’ gathering styled ‘Consumption Promotion of OFSP Among School Children’ held on Bhutka Government Primary School ground under Gangachara Upazila in the district.

International Potato Center (CIP) Bangladesh in partnership with BRAC arranged the event under SUSTAIN Project being funded by the UKaid in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture Extension, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) and Directorate of Primary Education.

Gangachara Upazila Additional Agriculture Officer Afzal Hossain addressed the function as the chief guest with President of Gangachara Press Club Shaju Ahmmed Lal in the chair. Gangachara Upazila Primary Education Officer Aktary Pervin and Assistant Upazila Primary Education Officer Jyoti Rani addressed as special guests. Programme Officer of CIP Bangladesh Ramzan Ali and Regional Manager of BRAC Nazim Uddin, also spoke.

A large number of primary level school students, their mothers and guardians, teachers, members of the school managing committee, civil society members, local elite and journalists were present.

Upazila Primary Education Officer Aktary Pervin called upon the guardians, especially mothers, to take care of their children properly and meet their nutritional demand so that they could be worthy citizens to lead the nation in future toward desired development.

Narrating the nutritious properties and values of OFSP, Upazila Additional Agriculture Officer Afzal Hossain suggested the guardians to popularise consumption of the same among their children to keep their body fit, healthy, safe and sound.

The chief guest also distributed 50 pieces of BARI released OFSP vines and 2-kg OFSP roots free of cost among each of the 300 students of the school for planting those in their surrounding homesteads to get desired output in future.