The horticulture department of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) in the capital will distribute free vegetable seedlings to marginal farmers hit by the flash floods. In the first phase, 20,000 seedlings will be given to 500 marginal farmers in five upazilas of Cumilla and Feni districts for homestead cultivation. SAU will also provide 4kg of vermicompost as safe fertiliser and 100ml of Clibio as a biotechnology product for growing crops from seed.

The seedlings will be distributed in Burichang, Chandina and Debidwar upazilas of Cumilla and Fulgazi and Parshuram upazilas of Feni. The lists of affected marginal farmers in these areas were provided by the local upazila agriculture officers. One consignment of vegetable seedlings has already been delivered, and the horticulture department hopes to deliver the rest by the first week of September. Seeds will also be given for commercial cultivation once the water dries up in the fields.

According to the horticulture department, water around homesteads in the flood-hit areas will recede fully by the end of this month or the first week of next month, when farmers will be able to grow vegetables on their homestead land. The seedlings will be year-round bottle gourd, year-round pumpkin, chilli, tomato and brinjal. SAU will also provide 4kg of vermicompost as safe fertiliser and 100ml of Clibio as a biotechnology product.

The seeds were contributed by AR Malik Seed, Krishibid Group Seed and Bondhu Seed Company. VSO supported the vermicompost and the Conpass company the Clibio. The 100ml of Clibio can be sprayed five times; it also works as a pesticide and increases vegetable productivity.

Professor Dr A F M Jamal Uddin of the horticulture department said SAU has helped flood victims with relief from the start of the floods. As an agricultural university, it is also providing rice seedlings, vegetable seedlings and seeds for agricultural rehabilitation. All agricultural universities are lending a hand as far as they can. Providing services on a large scale individually or at department level is quite difficult, he said, so every agricultural university needs a special committee dedicated to agriculture and farmers that will stand by farmers whenever needed.

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