Stressing that farmers should become self-reliant, Dr Mirza Mofazzal Islam, director general of the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), has said farmers must save seed from the paddy they produce. To do so, they need to learn what makes a good seed and a good variety.

"Quality seed is a farmer's asset," he said. "Remember that hybrid seed cannot be kept, and it is expensive to buy in the market. So you must save your own seed."

He was speaking virtually as chief guest at the opening of a farmer training on production and conservation of BINA-developed boro paddy seed under climate-change conditions, held in Satkhira on Wednesday (1 May). The training was organised under a project on adaptation in haor, char and saline land through nuclear techniques.

Mirza Mofazzal Islam said around 30 districts in the country are saline, and salinity is particularly severe in Satkhira. Everyone must use their own knowledge and skills to adapt to the conditions created by climate change, he said.

The training was chaired by project director Dr Sakina Khanam, who developed BINA dhan25. Special guests included agriculturist Saiful Islam, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Satkhira; Sadar upazila nirbahi officer Shoaib Ahmad; Mazharul Islam, officer in charge and scientific officer of the BINA Satkhira sub-station; and scientific officer Milon Kabir.

Tapas Ghosh of Kaliganj and Abdul Khaleque of Debhata described their experience of growing BINA dhan25.

The training, held at the BINA Satkhira sub-station, was told that good crops need good seed, and that protecting soil health matters just as much: crops do not do well when soil health is poor, so farmers should pay attention to organic fertiliser and keep seed from the crops they grow. BINA dhan10 and BINA dhan25 are especially suited to saline coastal areas, and farmers have succeeded by growing new BINA varieties.

Farmers at the training were introduced to various techniques of seed production and storage.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.