Extension officials, scientists and researchers underlined the need for an integrated effort to boost the seed production of paddy, wheat and jute at farmers level to meet increasing domestic demands, reports BSS.

They urged the field level extension officials to put in their best effort to enhance the seed production through the best uses of the existing natural resources. The region including its vast Barind tract is very suitable for seed production.

Emphasis should be given to habituating the farmers to modern cultivation method along with using quality seed through establishing projection plots of improved technologies for enhancing food grain output. Quality seed is the precondition to boosting yield.

Additional Director Office of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) organized the regional workshop styled “Farmers level Production, Preservation and Distribution of Quality and High yielding Seed of Paddy, wheat and jute Project” at NCDP conference hall in the city yesterday.

Additional Director Mustafizur Rahman addressed the workshop as chief guest with Deputy Director Joynal Abedeen in the chair. During his keynote presentation, Deputy Director of the project Surajit Shaha Roy highlighted various aspects of boosting seed production of the crops.

DAE Deputy Directors Deb Dulal Dhali and Rafiqul Islam, Joint Director of BADC Ashraful Islam, Chief Scientific Officer of BIRRI Dr Rafiqul Islam, Regional Officer of Seed Certification Agency Sirajul Islam and Principal Scientific Officer of Wheat Research Station Dr Ilias Hossain also spoke.

More than 80 district and upazila level agricultural officials, researchers and farmers from four districts in the region attended the workshop.

Additional Director Mustafizur Rahman said the agricultural extension and research officials have a vital role to play for accelerating the country’s agro-production including the paddy, wheat and jute and urged them to reach the innovated technologies and modern know-how at the doorstep of the farmers. Considering the agricultural environment and socio-economic condition of the region, he said the rice-wheat-jute crop-diversification method should be promoted at the grassroots as it has been adjudged as profit making, cost-effective and time-saving.