Community radio for agriculture to be set up in Barguna

A community radio station mostly highlighting agriculture will be set up in a remote area of Barguna district with a view to empowering nearly 3,00,000 rural people.
The station to be set up under a pilot project, 'Enhancing Rural Communication Services for Agricultural Development through Community Rural Radio', at a cost of about Tk 80 million (8 crore).
Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) will provide US$ 457,500 apart from ensuring technical assistance, while Tk 32.6 million (3.26 crore) will come from the government.
An agreement to this effect is likely to be signed between the government and the FAO on April 29 at the Finance Ministry, said Agriculture Information Service (AIS) director Md Nazrul Islam.
On Thursday, the Information Ministry for the first time granted permission to 12 new community radio stations including 'Community Rural Radio'.
The AIS director said that the community radio station will run initially for eight hours a day by the officials of AIS, Bangladesh Betar (Barisal Centre) and Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
The station will air different programmes on agriculture like which soil is suitable for which type of crops, fertiliser management, livestock and fisheries. The programmes will be broadcast in local dialect.
On completion of the two-year tenure of the pilot project, the management of the radio station will be handed over to community people under the supervision of local government.
AIS director Nazrul Islam said some NGOs, who would like to work in agriculture sector, might be involved in the venture in future.
Apart from agriculture, the rural radio station will also broadcast programmes on education, nutrition, environment, forestry, and may forecast on possible natural calamity.