Scaling up �sandbar cropping� can enhance food production
Cultivation of pumpkin on vast sandy land that emerges from hundreds of rivers across the country during dry season every year can benefit poor farmers. The observation came at a consultative workshop on Dissemination of pumpkin cultivation technology on sandbar at the conference room of DG of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) at Khamarbari in Dhaka yesterday. Farmers, who could not achieve good yield of other crops and vegetables, can cultivate pumpkin on the barren lands that emerges from around 700 rivers in the country and remain dry for nearly half of the year. These sandbars can be made productive by growing pumpkins using the pit cultivation approach (by digging small pits and lining the pits with compost).
The purpose of the workshop, organised jointly by DAE and Practical Action, a UK-based international development agency, is to explore the opportunity of dissemination of sandbar technology and create scope for partnership and collaboration with DAE. Hasin Jahan, country director of Practical Action Bangladesh, presented the keynote speech. Hasin said Our arable land is reducing while our population is increasing. It is urgently needed to expand the sandbar cropping across the country to meet the increasing food demand. Young generation should be motivated and given training to make them entrepreneur and expand the technology, said she. Hamidur Rahman, DG of DAE was the chief guest and SM Sirajul Islam, director (Admin Finance) of DAE was special guest at the programme moderated by Iman Ali Sardar, additional director- Crops Wing, DAE. DG Hamidur Rahman said poor people are changing their lot and contributing to national economy by cultivating pumpkin. But the landless farmers have to face marketing problem as they do not have space for preservation of the vegetable.
