Improved varieties of crops and production technologies developed by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (Bari) should be quickly sent to farmers to ensure development in the sector, according to Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque.
"Bari has developed many improved varieties and production technologies of various crops but most of these have yet to reach farmers in that way," he said.
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"So, for the development of the country's agriculture, these varieties and technologies should be delivered to farmers at a fast clip," Razzaque added.
The agriculture minister made these comments while inaugurating the "Central Research Review and Planning Workshop-2022", organised by Bari at the Kazi Badruddoza Auditorium in Dhaka yesterday, as per a press release.
Attended by representatives of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), farmers, government and non-government organisations, the workshop was organised for the purpose of evaluating research programmes undertaken in the last fiscal year, and in the light of these experiences for the preparation of next year's research programmes.
This research review is done in three steps -- Regional Research Review, Internal Research Review and Central Research Review.
Currently, Bari is conducting research activities on 211 crops. A total of 1,237 crops, including 625 high yielding (also hybrid), disease resistant and various adverse environment resistant varieties of different crops, and 612 other production technologies have been developed by Bari.
Debasish Sarker, director general of Bari, presided over the inaugural session, where Md Ruhul Amin Talukder, secretary of agriculture, AFM Hayatullah, chairman of the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation, A Gaffar Khan, director general of the department of agricultural marketing, Md Benojir Alam, director general of the DAE, and Md Shahjahan Kabir, director general of BRRI, were present.
