Bumper winter vegetables likely in Rajshahi region

RAJSHAHI, Dec 3 (BSS): Like the previous couple year, farmers and Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) are expecting a bumper production of winter vegetables in the northern region including vast barind tract during the current Rabi season. Early farming of the vegetables under the changed climatic condition and cropping patterns contributed to surplus output, officials said. Vegetables' farming becomes most profitable than other crops in recent years bringing fortunes to thousands of farmers and commoners in the region during the past few years. The DAE has fixed an all time record production target of 10 lakh tonnes winter vegetables from around 80,000 hectares of land in all eight districts under the Rajshahi Agricultural Zone with an average yield rate of 16 tonnes per hectare during the current season. This has become possible because the DAE, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute, Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation and many NGOs supplied adequate quality seeds, other agro-inputs and provided necessary technical assistance to the farmers. Besides, different commercial banks, Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank and NGOs disbursed agriculture loans and interest-free loans among the farmers to make the massive winter vegetables farming programme successful. Meanwhile, the early harvest of the winter vegetables also made the farmers happy, as they are getting better prices at the beginning of the season, farmers and market sources said. Media role on HIV-AIDS stressed Another Report: Speakers at a regional orientation here today said a strong media role has become indispensable to free the HIVAIDS reported patients from stigmatized socially for protecting their fundamental rights. In this context, they viewed that most of the infected patients are subjected to repression, discrimination and negligence every spheres of their existence which is gross violence of the human rights. They said the anomalous situation could be addressed after creating mass awareness through objective media reporting frequently as the patients have equal rights to survive after deriving total benefits of all the state facilities. UNAIDS and Vorer Kagoj jointly organized the media orientation title "Reporting on HIV and AIDS" at Chilies Party Zone attended by some 30 journalists of both print and electronic media and news agencies. Vorer Kagoj Editor Shayamal Datta addressed the orientation as focal person, emphasized the need for protecting the infected persons from their human rights violations as they are also the integral part of the society.