Govt mulls e book for farmers

Sonia H Moni The government is going to launch multimedia book or e book for farmers containing details of cultivation method and management of local 11 crops by the end of this year, officials said. An e book (also named electronic book, digital book) is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. The Agriculture Information Service (AIS) under the Ministry of Agriculture will launch the e book on crops like rice, wheat, pulse, tomatoes and five spices items. Information Officer (plant protection) of the AIS Md Zakir Hasnat told the FE: "e book is a new concept for disseminating information among the farmers. We are working on the e book under a project titled digital expansion." "We have started working on e book last March and completed a draft on it within June." "We have already completed seven crops out of 11 crops and rest of them will be completed by mid of next month." He said: "The rural farmers do not have enough option to get all the information on a certain crops at a time. But e book will help them to get all information at one place." Badal Sarker, a technical participant of the AIS said: "We are making e book including text, image, video and animation on certain item of 11 crops. We will provide seed to seed production technology through these e book." "Farmers will get these e books from nearest Agriculture Information and Communication Centre (AICC). Officer of the AICC will have to down load e book for once from e book@ais.gov.bd and farmers will be able to get it as offline version in computer." Mr Sarker said: A farmer will easily be able to read, hear and watch information like varieties of tomatoes, suitable land for it, fertilisation, saplings, irrigation, diseases and collection, preservation and marketing of tomato. "The illiterate farmers will also be able to learn through the e book as there is an option for listening and visualisation." Md Zakir Hasnat also said: "Initially we are working on 11 crops but gradually we will put around 80 crops of the country on the e book. We have also a plan to put information on farmers' health and nutrition and disaster-tolerant crops on the e book."