RAJSHAHI: Large-scale sesame farming on the fallow lands can be the effective means of mitigating the existing drought condition alongside the adverse impact of climate change in the vast Varendra Tract, agricultural scientists and extension officials said, reports BSS.
They viewed more than one lakh hectares of land remain fallow after harvesting transplanted aman paddy in the high Varendra Tract comprising 10 upazilas of Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon districts every year.
There is an enormous prospect of producing at least one lakh tonnes of sesame valued at around Taka 300 crore from the fallow lands yearly through utilising modern farming methods like raised bed and high yielding variety. Thereby, the country’s demand of edible oil could be fulfilled to some extent.
The observations came at two separate farmers’ field day programmes styled “Extension of Sesame Farming in bed-planting method in drought-prone area in climate changed situation” held at Bijaynagar area under Godagari Upazila of Rajshahi and at Bohorail area under Nachole Upazila of Chapainawabganj district on Monday. Regional Wheat Research Centre (RWRC) of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) organised the field day aimed at motivating more farmers towards sesame cultivation in the water-stressed condition.
Deputy Directors of Department of Agriculture Extension Hazrat Ali and Saiful Islam, Principal Scientific Officer of RWRC Dr Iias Hossain, Scientific Officer Jahidul Islam and Sub Assistant Agriculture Officers Habibur Rahman and Hafizur Rahman spoke on the occasion. They said there is no alternative to bring diversity in cropping system in the changed climatic condition and urged the farmers to extend their cooperation towards sesame promotion in the dried area.
Dr Ilias Hossian recommended minimising the farmers’ constraints for the sake of sustainable crop production. Farmers needed to be aware about the resource conserving technologies and modern scientific methods so that crop production remained technologically sound, economically viable, socially acceptable and environmentally secure.