RAJSHAHI, Nov 6, 2019 (BSS) – Agricultural extension officials and scientists opined that the farmers’ level crop production can easily be enhanced 15 to 20 percent on an average if they can avail the scopes of using quality seed in their farming fields properly.
They viewed that the field level agricultural officials and other staff concerned should take the responsibility of making the farmers competent for enhancing quality seeds of high valued crops to meet up the gradually mounting demands of those in the country.
They came up with the observation while addressing the closing session of a daylong workshop related to boosting the quality seed production of paddy, wheat and jute at training hall of Rajshahi Zonal Office of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in the city yesterday.
DAE under its ‘Farmers level Quality Seed of Paddy, Wheat and Jute Production, Preservation and Distribution Project’ organized the workshop discussing and devising ways and means on how to enhance quality seed production.
More than 100 DAE’s district and upazila level officials and other agriculture related scientists and researchers took part in the workshop updating their knowledge on the issue.
DAE Additional Director Deb Dulal Dhali addressed the session as chief and focal person with Director of the project Moazzem Hossain in the chair.
DAE Deputy Directors Monzurul Huda and Shamsul Haque and Additional Deputy Director Umme Salma also addressed the session.
During their separate keynote presentations, Chief Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Dr Aminul Islam, Principal Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute Dr Ilias Hossain and Deputy Director (Seed) of Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation Zulfikar Hossain highlighted their respective seed production scenario in the region.
They also disseminated their expertise on the issue side by side with portraying a salient feature related to prospects and problems of the seed production.
Agriculturist Moazzem Hossain said seed must be qualitative as its significance towards food security, nutrition and production enhancement is irreparable.
He urged the attending officials to become more vigorous towards encouraging the growers in the field of infusing dynamism into the seed production activities by themselves after the best uses of existing natural resources including suitable topography and climatic condition in the region including its vast Barind tract.
Hossain also asked them to form Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) with beneficiary farmers of the project so that they can sustain their activities through utilizing their best practices.
To remove the crisis of quality seed, he said the time has come to establish farmers SME for promoting production of breeder seed.