BADC to set up 3 seed multiplication farms in Barisal

Yasir Wardad Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) has taken a project to set up three seed multiplication farms in Barisal and Patuakhali districts aiming to boost cultivation in salinity-affected areas. These three farms will be able to produce 11,500 tonnes of seeds of different crops annually, officials said. The project worth Tk 2.486 billion is waiting for the approval of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) within two weeks, a senior official of BADC said. "These seed multiplication centres will be set up to promote cultivation in many fallow lands in the southern coastal region. The centres will be established between 2011 and 2014", he said. Director (seed and horticulture) of BADC Md Nuruzzaman told the FE that BADC was providing 9.5 per cent of the national seed requirement of 1.08 million tonnes and it would reach 23 per cent by 2021. "The new farms will focus on producing foundation seeds from the breeder seeds of different stress-tolerant varieties of crops that include rice, wheat, oil seeds and pulses developed by government seed research organisations," he said. BADC general manager (seed) Md Shah Alam told the FE that the farms would be set up on 422.817 hectares of land in Char Bothan, Char Bashbaria and Char Haider in Barisal Sadar and Dashmina upazila in Patuakhali district. He said the project would also allocate Tk 180 million for rehabilitation of nearly 1500 inhabitants of the chars. He said that under the project, a dehumidified storage of 1000 tonnes capacity, a seed processing and preservation centre with 2,000 tonnes capacity and a potato storage of 2,000 tonnes capacity would be constructed. Seed wing Director General of Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) Anwar Faruque said, "it is a continuity of our plan to promote cultivation in coastal areas." He said the region was rich in cultivation but salinity forced the farmers in many areas of this region to stop farming. "The recent initiatives taken by the government will increase crop production which will reduce food insecurity significantly in the area," the seed wing head said. Officials involved in the project said that they also proposed for a 17-kilometre dam which was required to protect the area from flooding during the rainy season. They said before implementing the project, BADC will conduct an 'Environmental Impact Assessment' which will be submitted to the environment department for approval.