To face possible food crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Agriculture Minister Dr M Abdur Razzaque on Wednesday said the government is giving emphasis on cultivating high-yielding variety (HYV) crops reducing less productive variety ones for raising the food production, reports BSS.
“Emphasis has been given on quality seeds supply and cultivation of high yielding variety crops instead of less productive crops aiming to increase the food production”, he said as the chief guest while inaugurating a free online seed distribution programme arranged by Bayer Crop Science, a joint initiative of German based Bayer Group and Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), from his official residence in the capital.
Dr Razzaque said country’s entire Aman production area is more than the Boro paddy, but the total Aman production is comparatively less mainly due to extensive cultivation of local variety during the Aman season.
To increase Aman production, he said it is necessary to ensure quality and adequate seeds supply and make hybrid varieties popular among the farmers.
Agriculture Secretary M Nasiruzzaman, German Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Fahrenholtz, Bayer South Asian Senior Representative D Narain and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of India-Bangladesh-Sri Lanka of Bayer Crop Science Division Simon Thorsten Wiebusch joined the programme as the special guests.
Moderated by Bayer Bangladesh Executive Director Zahidul Islam, the programme was also attended, among others, by Bayer Bangladesh Managing Director Srinibash Kumar Karavadi, Bangladesh Agriculture University Emeritus Professor Dr Abdus Sattar Mondol, former Agriculture Secretary Anwar Faruque and former Director General of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Hamidur Rahman.
Agriculture minister said, the government has taken an initiative to increase crop production during the Aman and Boro seasons, adding that “The production target has been enhanced.”
Bayer Crop Science Limited will distribute free hybrid paddy and vegetable seeds among one lakh small and marginal farmers across the country, he added.
With the help of the DAE, the company also will distribute 300 tonnes of paddy seeds among 50,000 farmers by June and another 50,000 farmers by November in 51 districts across the country, the minister said.