Govt to build 5 lakh nutrition gardens at Tk 438 crore: Razzaque

The government will set up 5 lakh nutrition gardens at Tk 438 crore on uncultivated fallow lands and backyards across the country, Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque today.

If the project is implemented successfully, it will increase food production as well as meet the needs of family vegetables and nutrition during the pandemic, he said.

The minister was addressing a workshop on 'Establishment of Family Nutrition Gardens in Uncultivated Fallen Lands and Backyards' in Dhaka.

Earlier in March, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the three-year project titled "Establishment of Family Nutrition Garden" which is already being implemented in all upazilas across the country, according to the ministry.

At the same time, the minister said, before taking up the project, about 141,000 family nutrition gardens were set up in 4,431 unions across the country at a cost of Tk 37.36 crore last year.

According to the ministry, there are about 2.53 crore houses in the country and most of these backyards of the dwellings are unused.

A total of 4.88 lakh gardens of vegetables, fruits and spices will be set up on the unused land of each union and municipality homestead under the project, it said.

In addition, 100 community-based vermicompost production pits will be set up to protect soil health and produce healthy safe crops.