Focus on waterlogging, salinity issues in south
Bangladesh has emerged as a strong agricultural economy with its yearly rice output well surpassing its requirement and its vegetable production hitting third and freshwater fish output fourth in global production rankings.
Now this country needs to focus on challenges of salinity and waterlogging faced by farmers of the southern coastal belt and ensure nutrition security by shifting towards a more balanced diet from a predominantly rice-centric calorie intake.
Some of the country's leading scientists, academics and officials involved with National Agricultural Research System (NARS) came up with these views at a book launching and discussion programme at Jatiya Press Club yesterday.
The Forum for Information Dissemination on Agriculture (FIDA) in league with agribusiness company Syngenta Bangladesh jointly organised the programme to launch the book, “A Farm View of Bangladesh”, co-edited by journalists Kawser Rahman and Reaz Ahmad.
Palok Publishers published the book, rich with 17 distinct chapters depicting a wide range of issues from innovation in rice science to seaweed, from farm technology to jute to floriculture.
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) Executive Chairman Dr Abul Kalam Azad along with heads of NARS bodies formally launched the book appreciating its authors and editors for coming up with a rich anthology of farm writings.
Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University Vice Chancellor Prof Kamal Uddin Ahmed, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute Director General Dr Md Rafiqul Islam Mondal, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Director General Dr Bhagya Rani Banik, Department of Agricultural Extension Director (Plant Protection Wing) Golam Maruf, Syngenta Bangladesh Managing Director Md Sazzadul Hassan and Palok Publishers Proprietor Forkan Ahmed spoke, among others, at the discussion chaired by FIDA President Kawser Rahman.
Portraying a bright prospect for Bangladesh's farm sector, Dr Abul Kalam Azad emphasised focusing research on the south where farmers were facing challenges of climate change.
Dr Md Rafiqul Islam Mondal said it was a reality that Bangladesh was losing farmlands fast due to strong demands for housing, industries and infrastructures. However, farm technologies with promises of higher yields are also at our disposal, he said.
He emphasised further tapping potentials from shifting from mono to multiple cropping.
Dr Bhagya Rani Banik expressed pride at some of Bangladesh's best performing high-yield rice varieties being cultivated in countries including India and China and a BARI-developed pulse variety in Nepal.
Other discussants appreciated the farm broadcasters and writers' move under FIDA-Syngenta joint initiative and publishing a good collection of articles on a diverse range of issues involving Bangladesh's farm sector.
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