Farmers and others concerned called for continuation of quality seed production project of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) for the sake of boosting rice production in the region including its vast Barind tract.
They said BMDA’s seed production activities have gained a remarkable success in production of quality paddy seed and supply of those to farmers.
“We have seen farmers purchasing seed standing on long queue every season,” said Abu Sayeed Swapan, a farmer of Mohishalbari village under Godagari Upazila.
He said disappointment has been created among the beneficiary farmers as tenure of the project has concluded around more than one year back. “The farmers have become very much dependent on the seeds.”
BMDA Officials told BSS that Taka 10.32 crore project titled “Quality Seed Production on Farmers Field” had been implemented in all the 25 upazilas of Rajshahi, Naogaon and Chapainawabganj districts till June 2011.
The main thrust of the five-year project was to motivate farmers towards producing improved varieties of local and high yielding seeds and train up 16,000 farmers and staffs on production, procurement, processing and preservation of quality seed.
BMDA at present, is providing irrigation facilities to around 7.42 lakh hectares of land in Aman season and 3.84 lakh hectares of land in Boro season. “To cultivate these lands in both the seasons, 43,645 tonnes of seeds are required every year,” said Rafiqul Islam, Project Director of BMDA.
For the sake of sustainable crop production alongside encouraging the farmers in crop farming, quality seed production is a vital requirement.
Under the project, he added, around 2,000 tonnes of seeds were produced and disbursed among the farmers and around 12,000 farmers were given necessary training on production, procurement, processing and preservation of rice seed through establishing about 625 demonstration plots.
BMDA extended technical service and provided required inputs like seed, fertilizer and pesticides to the targeted farmers, he added.
Around 40,000 farmers were benefited through cultivating paddy on around 50,000 hectares of land with the supplied seeds.
Agriculturist Rafiq said if the project is continued, expedited and expanded further, he hopes that the existing deficit of quality seed could be reduced to a greater extent. -BSS, Rajshahi
