🇧🇩 Agriculture in Bangladesh (2 Viewers)

[Saif]

Global actors pledge to collaborate on transformation of Bangladesh agriculture

Key global actors gathered at Wageningen University, a global leader in agri-science located in the Netherlands, and pledged to collaborate on making Bangladesh agriculture risk-proof, resilient, profitable and sustainable for small farmers as well as for entrepreneurs. They were participants at a

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Global actors pledge to collaborate on transformation of Bangladesh agriculture
UNB
Published :
May 06, 2024 22:19
Updated :
May 06, 2024 22:19



Key global actors gathered at Wageningen University, a global leader in agri-science located in the Netherlands, and pledged to collaborate on making Bangladesh agriculture risk-proof, resilient, profitable and sustainable for small farmers as well as for entrepreneurs.

They were participants at a roundtable on 'Future of Bangladesh Agriculture', convened by the Bangladesh Embassy.

Bangladesh Ambassador to the Netherlands, M Riaz Hamidullah, moderated and shared the context of the roundtable, especially how the global agri-tech community may tap potential opportunities in Bangladesh.

Over 230 experts and researchers from different parts of the world joined the discussion. Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS), University of Saskatchewan (Canada), partnered the event.

Six Presentations by leading experts focused on tackling the key challenges in Bangladesh: rapidly increasing crop yield; developing resilient supply chain; scaling up farm mechanization; meeting skill gaps through training.

FAO and World Bank HQs shared their perspectives as well. Agriculture Secretary, Wahida Akhter, reflected the Government's thinking on transforming agriculture in Bangladesh.

The Vice President of University of Saskatchewan, Canada, Baljit Singh, pledged to enhance the university's cooperation in agri-research in Bangladesh.

Minister, Dr Abdus Shahid, said that agriculture is the key priority in cooperation with the Netherlands, particularly to introduce some of the transformative technology, innovation and research capabilities to Bangladesh. He also said that "I am a farmer turned politician. For seven decades in my life, I have seen how millions of our small and marginal farmers battled out challenges in our delta."

At the end, Wageningen University, Saskatchewan University and Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) together launched a tripartite Arrangement for longer-term engagements to pilot impact-driven initiatives at the grassroots in Bangladesh.

The Netherlands today is the 2nd largest agro-food exporter globally, annually exporting US$ 123 billion (2022). To date, they have conducted 7 Market Scans on agri-business potential in Bangladesh.

This high-level roundtable comes as a result of continuing efforts of the Bangladesh Embassy. In 2022, the Bangladesh Embassy convened a first-ever such discussion, together with Wageningen University, on future opportunities in Bangladesh Agriculture future, especially to empower small and marginal farmers.​

 

[Saif]

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/views/columns/prospect-of-organic-farming-for-food-security

Prospect of organic farming for food security
NILRATAN HALDER
Published :
May 09, 2024 22:19
Updated :
May 10, 2024 21:40



Notwithstanding amazing success in agricultural production, both food security and safety in Bangladesh are now suspect. The myth of self-sufficiency in food — actually meaning staples or more precisely rice — has got busted. Earlier there was a litany of rhetoric that the country was producing enough or near enough foods to feed its population.

All that has become evident now is the government's inability to protect the consumers' rights when traders take undue advantage of output shortfall or even when there is a sufficient stock of some essentials. It routinely happens in case of staples and onion. Although the production of the spice-cum-vegetable has been more than the country needs — if the official data are to be believed, the prices fluctuate merely on India's announcement of export restriction or its withdrawal. Right at this moment market is witnessing such a fall in its prices after an arbitrary rise even in the peak harvesting period.

Even potato which year after year had to be disposed of at throwaway prices or even fed to cattle or simply left to rot on account of low prices at a level that did not cover even the carrying cost, has become costliest ever this harvesting season. The potato glut in the market earlier was not a myth and it was exported to countries like Russia to buoy up prices. The reach of trade coteries' power is so long that it can make and unmake facts. Of course, official data are at variance from one organisation to another. In case of agricultural yields, therefore, there is no way to be sure about the authenticity of figures.

Well, cooking oil and sugar — the two items the country has mostly to import because domestic production is negligible — are even strong candidates for business manipulation. The unethically motivated coteries do not disappoint in this regard as their limitless avarice prompts them to make the most of the crisis. There is no doubt that much of the woe caused by high inflation, by extension, a lack of access to quality foods is manmade.

However, the recent heat waves and unnatural rains in the Middle East as part of a natural scheme of things have brought to the fore the ugly truth that countries – rich or poor – may have to brace for farming practices never known before. It looks like more formidable villains in the form of climate change are joining hands with people driven by only profit motive here. Climate-resilient agriculture has by now become a parlance among agriculture scientists. It is exactly at this point environmentalists the other day protested the experiment with 'golden rice' and 'Bt brinjal or eggplant'. They complain that genetically modified crops can do more harms than good in the long run if those become resistant to antibiotics.

In fact, by inserting a gene from soil bacterium Bacillus thuringenisis (Bt) into eggplant, the new variety was created by US giant Monsanto. Attempts were made to introduce it in India and the Philippines but in the face of strong protests, its cultivation was put on hold. Pest-resistant, the eggplant gives 30 per cent more yields. Similarly, Golden rice is also genetically engineered to fortify it with vitamin A. The Court of Appeals in the Philippines, on scrutiny of the evidence presented, issued on April 17, 2024, 'a cease-and-desist order on the commercial propagation' of the two GM crops — Golden rice and Bt eggplant, citing a lack of 'full scientific certainty' in relation to their impacts on human health and environment.

If India and the Philippines do not approve of the GM crops, Bangladesh has no reason to go ahead for their introduction until their full scientific certainty has been ascertained. Then there is the threat from pesticide use to fight pests for maintaining high yields of crops, which is not environmentally sound. Bangladesh also has the additional problem of artificial ripening of fruits and preservation of perishable vegetables by application of harmful chemicals.

Clearly both food security and safety are under threat in the more challenging conditions of climate turmoil. Then what can be a reasonable farming practice for Bangladesh and other countries facing food insecurity? The World Bank said as late as Monday last that changes in farming practices could slash one-third of global greenhouse gas emission by the end of the decade. If changes in the agro-food systems can do so, what are the alternatives? Reduction of one-third greenhouse gas emission is a lucrative proposition but the details of what the WB says "affordable and readily available actions" should be made public.

The WB suggests that the middle-income countries which are the top 10 gas emitters including the top three — China, India and Brazil can make a number of changes such as moving to low-emission livestock practices and making more sustainable use of land. Use of 'land such as forests and ecosystems', the WB goes further, can cut emissions. But then it urges for technical assistance from the US, the fourth-largest polluter. This is ambiguous and looks like targeting agriculture instead of factories and industries? Just 57 oil, gas, coal and cement producers have been responsible for 80 per cent of the global CO2 emissions since the 2016 Paris climate agreement.

So investment is needed for cleaner and sustainable agricultural practices. Bangladesh has already developed an economised irrigation system and a number of educated young farmers are practising organic farming with tremendous success. The need is to replicate those methods and multilateral agencies can make funds available for farmers to do so in poor countries. ​

 

[Saif]

Lichi cultivation a success in Pirojpur

In the recent years, many farmers in Pirojpur district switched from paddy cultivation to growing different varieties of seasonal fruits.

www.thedailystar.net

Lichi cultivation a success in Pirojpur



In the recent years, many farmers in Pirojpur district switched from paddy cultivation to growing different varieties of seasonal fruits.

The farmers said they found it hard to retain their production costs in paddy cultivation whereas fruit cultivation has been a successful initiative to many of them.

"We can cultivate paddy only a year as our lands are very low lying and remain inundated for most of the time of the year. As such, paddy cultivation was not beneficial for us. So, many farmers are now cultivating different seasonal fruits including jujube, mango, guava and lichi," said Manmatho Edbor, a grower from Nazirpur upazila of Pirojpur.



In particular, litchi cultivation has become quite popular among growers in Pirojpur. Many are cultivating Mujaffarpuri and China-3 varieties of litchi successfully.

"Lichi is a highly valued and popular fruit, so we don't face any trouble to sell our harvest to buyers from different areas profitably," Manmatho added.

Hansapati Mistry from Tarabuniya village under the upazila, said, "I began litchi cultivation first in our area. Later on, many others followed me to grow the delicious fruit. At present, I am waiting to harvest litchi from around 500 trees in my orchard."

Mentioning that the recent hot spell was a concern to the growers in the area, Hansapati said rainfall ahead of the harvest will help the fruit mature well and enhance yield.

Md Khalid Hossain Sajal, chairman of Shakharikathi union in the upazila, said cultivation of fruits including litchi has been playing an important role in the local economy.

After meeting local demand, farmers can transport litchi to other areas of the country, he added.

Pankaj Kumer Boral, sub-assistant agriculture officer in Nazirpur, said this year, litchi has been cultivated in 55 hectares of land in Pirojpur, and a good yield is expected.​

 

[Saif]

কম ফলনে হতাশ সোনারগাঁয়ের আগাম জাতের লিচু চাষিরা

বারো ভূঁইয়ার শাসনামলে সোনারগাঁ বাণিজ্যের জন্য খুবই বিখ্যাত ছিল। পর্তুগিজরা প্রথম এ অঞ্চলে লিচুর চারা নিয়ে আসেন, তখন থেকেই এখানে লিচু চাষ হয়।

bangla.thedailystar.net

কম ফলনে হতাশ সোনারগাঁয়ের আগাম জাতের লিচু চাষিরা
বারো ভূঁইয়ার শাসনামলে সোনারগাঁ বাণিজ্যের জন্য খুবই বিখ্যাত ছিল। পর্তুগিজরা প্রথম এ অঞ্চলে লিচুর চারা নিয়ে আসেন, তখন থেকেই এখানে লিচু চাষ হয়।


স্টার ফাইল ছবি

আগাম জাতের হওয়ায় নারায়ণগঞ্জের সোনারগাঁ উপজেলার লিচু বাগানগুলোতে তুলনামূলক দ্রুত ফল আসে। তবে এ বছর টানা তাপদাহ ও শিলাবৃষ্টিতে লিচুর উৎপাদন কম হয়েছে। বাগান মালিকদের আশঙ্কা, এবার আশানুরূপ মুনাফার দেখা পাওয়া যাবে না।

বাগান মালিক ও কৃষি কর্মকর্তাদের সঙ্গে কথা বলে জানা যায়, নারায়ণগঞ্জের মাটি ও আবহাওয়া লিচু চাষের উপযোগী। যদিও, কেবল সোনারগাঁ উপজেলাতেই লিচুর চাষ হয়। এ বছর উপজেলার ১২টি গ্রামের অন্তত ১০৭ হেক্টর জমিতে ৭৮০টি বাগানে লিচুর বাণিজ্যিক চাষ করা হয়েছে। সাধারণত কদমি, পাতি ও চায়না-৩; এই তিন জাতের লিচু গাছ আছে এসব বাগানে।

সোনারগাঁ উপজেলা কৃষি কর্মকর্তা আফরোজা ইসলাম দ্য ডেইলি স্টারকে বলেন, গতবছর বাগানগুলোতে ৭০০ মেট্রিক টন লিচু উৎপাদন হয়েছিল। এ বছর বাগানের সংখ্যা বাড়ায় উৎপাদন বেশি হবে বলে আশা ছিল। কিন্তু অত্যধিক গরম ও শিলাবৃষ্টির কারণে এ বছরও ৭০০ মেট্রিক টন উৎপাদন হতে পারে।

গত মঙ্গলবার সোনারগাঁওয়ের ঐতিহ্যবাহী পানাম নগর, চিলারবাগ, উত্তর ষোলপাড়া গ্রামে ঘুরে রাস্তার দুইপাশে সারি সারি লিচু বাগান দেখা যায়। অধিকাংশ বাগানের মালিক মৌসুমি ব্যবসায়ীদের কাছে আগাম বাগান ইজারা দেন। গাছে ফুল আসা থেকে ফলের পরিচর্যা ও লিচু বাজারজাত করা পর্যন্ত সবকিছুই করেন ব্যবসায়ীরা।

মৌসুমি লিচু ব্যবসায়ী রনি আহমেদ এবার ৩০ শতাংশ আয়তনের একটি বাগার ৮৫ হাজার টাকায় ইজারা নিয়েছেন। গাছের পরিচর্যা ও অন্যান্য কাজে বিনিয়োগ করেছেন আরও ২৫ হাজার টাকা। তবে, ভালো ফলন না হওয়ায় হতাশ রনি।

'আমি অন্তত ৩০ হাজার লিচু পাওয়ার আশা করছিলাম। গত দুই দিনে লিচু পেয়েছি মাত্র ২০ হাজার। অথচ দুই বছর আগেও এই বাগান থেকে ৩৬ হাজার লিচু পেয়েছি। এ বছর সময়মতো বৃষ্টি হয় নাই, সেই সঙ্গে ভীষণ গরম ছিল। এজন্য লিচু ঠিকমতো বড় হয়নি। শেষে শিলাবৃষ্টিতে অনেক লিচু নষ্ট হয়ে গেছে', বলেন তিনি।

গাছ থেকে লিচু পেড়ে কুমিল্লার দাউদকান্দিতে একটি আড়তে বিক্রি করার সিদ্ধান্ত নিয়েছেন রনি। তিনি বলেন, 'বাগানভাড়া ও অন্যান্য খরচ বাদ দিলে হাতে কিছু টাকা থাকবে। কিন্তু পুরো মৌসুমে যে পরিশ্রম করছি এর তুলনায় এটা কিছু না।'

প্রায় একই অভিজ্ঞতার কথা জানান এ অঞ্চলের বড় বাগানের মালিকরা।

উত্তর ষোলপাড়া গ্রামে ২৭০ শতাংশেরও বেশি জমিতে একটি লিচু বাগান করা হয়েছে। এ বাগানে লিচু গাছ আছে ৮৬টি। মঙ্গলবার দুপুরে বাগানটিতে কয়েকজনকে লিচু পেড়ে বাজারে নিয়ে যাওয়ার প্রস্তুতি নিতে দেখা যায়।

এই বাগানের দেখাশোনা করেছেন ৫৯ বছর বয়সী বেনু মোল্লা। দীর্ঘ ৩৫ বছর বিভিন্ন লিচু বাগানে কাজ করা এই প্রবীণ দ্য ডেইলি স্টারকে বলেন, মাঘ মাসের শেষ দিকে সোনারগাঁয়ের লিচু গাছে ফুল দেখা যায়। লিচু পাড়া শুরু হয় বৈশাখের মাঝামাঝি সময়ে। লিচুর ফলন ভালো হওয়ার জন্য পর্যাপ্ত বৃষ্টি ও অনুকূল আবহাওয়া জরুরি।

বাগানটি ভাড়ায় নেওয়া মো. হানিফ বলেন, 'এবার গাছে ভালো ফুল আসছিল। এইটা দেইখা অন্যবার একটি বাগান লিজ নিলেও এবার তিনটা নিছি। কিন্তু এখন পড়ছি মুশকিলে। রইদের তাপে কোনো সমস্যা ছিল না, যদি সময়মতো বৃষ্টি হইতো। যেই আশায় তিনটা বাগান লিজ নিছিলাম সেই আশা পূরণ হইবো না। কারণ ফলন কম।'

আশানুরূপ ফলন না হলেও লিচু বাজারজাত করতে কোনো ঝামেলা পোহাতে হয় না বলে জানান বাগান মালিক ও মৌসুমি ব্যবসায়ীরা। বেশিরভাগ লিচু উপজেলার মোগরাপাড়া বাজারে ফলের আড়তে বিক্রি হয়। সেখান থেকে রাজধানী ও আশেপাশের এলাকার ফলের বাজারে পৌঁছে যায় লিচু। প্রতি হাজার লিচু তিন-পাঁচ হাজার টাকায় বিক্রি হচ্ছে এ বছর। তবে চায়না-৩ জাতের লিচুর দাম তুলনামূলক বেশি।

এছাড়া, সোনারগাঁ লোক ও কারুশিল্প জাদুঘর এবং পানাম নগরে বেড়াতে আসা দর্শনার্থীরাও লিচু কিনে নিয়ে যান বলে জানান বাগান মালিকরা।

কৃষি কর্মকর্তা আফরোজা দ্য ডেইলি স্টারকে বলেন, বারো ভূঁইয়ার শাসনামলে সোনারগাঁ বাণিজ্যের জন্য খুবই বিখ্যাত ছিল। পর্তুগিজরা প্রথম এ অঞ্চলে লিচুর চারা নিয়ে আসেন, তখন থেকেই এখানে লিচু চাষ হয়। তবে বাণিজ্যিক চাষ গত কয়েকবছর ধরে বেড়েছে।

'সোনারগাঁয়ের লিচু দেশের অন্যান্য অঞ্চলের তুলনায় অন্তত একমাস আগে বাজারে আসে। দিনাজপুরের লিচু বাজারে আসে আরও কিছুদিন পর। এসব কারণে সোনারগাঁয়ের লিচুর কদর বেশি। বর্তমানে রাজধানীর কাওরানবাজারসহ বিভিন্ন এলাকার বাজারে যেসব লিচু পাওয়া যাচ্ছে এর ৯০ শতাংশই সোনারগাঁয়ে উৎপাদিত।'

এদিকে, এ বছর ফলন কম হওয়ার পেছনে আরও একটি কারণের কথা জানালেন এ কৃষি কর্মকর্তা।

তিনি বলেন, 'এই উপজেলায় অনেক বাগানমালিক আছেন যারা বাগান ভাড়া দিয়ে দেন। ভাড়াটে চাষিরা অনেক সময় গাছের সঠিক পরিচর্যা করেন না। এমনকি কৃষি কর্মকর্তাদেরও পরামর্শ নিতে আসেন না। তীব্র তাপদাহে নিয়মিত পানি ব্যবহার ও সেচের প্রয়োজন আছে। তাছাড়া, লিচু পাড়ার পরও বাগানের পরিচর্যা করতে হয়, নইলে পরের বছর ভালো ফলন পাওয়া যায় না। এক্ষেত্রে অনেকেই উদাসীন।'

তবে, নিজেদের সীমাবদ্ধতার কথা জানিয়ে আফরোজা বলেন, 'বাগান মালিক ও চাষিদের আমরা সবসময় পরামর্শ দিয়ে সহযোগিতা করি। গাছে কীটনাশক ছিটানোর মেশিনও দেওয়া হয়। কিন্তু আমাদের কাছে পর্যাপ্ত মেশিন নেই। এজন্য উপজেলা নির্বাহী কর্মকর্তার কাছে চাহিদাপত্র দেওয়া আছে।'​

 

[Saif]

Heatwaves, droughts threaten rice yields in Bangladesh

Bangladesh faces immense challenges in keeping up its rice production amid frequent heatwaves and droughts in the absence of heat-tolerant rice varieties and...

www.newagebd.net

Heatwaves, droughts threaten rice yields in Bangladesh
Emran Hossain 17 May, 2024, 23:49



Bangladesh faces immense challenges in keeping up its rice production amid frequent heatwaves and droughts in the absence of heat-tolerant rice varieties and the low yield of unpopular drought-tolerant varieties that the country has.

Over the years, the state-owned Bangladesh Rice Research Institute developed 115 rice varieties, largely focusing on increasing yields, apparently under the same favourable weather conditions.

The improved varieties have increased Bangladesh's rice production by about three-and-a-half-fold since 1971, a remarkable achievement crucial for feeding the country's millions of people.

Bangladesh produced about 4 crore tonnes of rice in 2023, up from 3.1 crore tonnes in 2010.

Some adjustments, such as advancing planting times and irrigating fields more than ever before, have kept rice production intact amidst harsh weather conditions in recent years, agriculturists said, pointing out that these temporary solutions cannot hold it for long and that a fall in rice production is inevitable.

While temperatures kept soaring, the need to lift more groundwater for rice cultivation left vast swathes in desert-like conditions, rendering them unable to produce other crops such as fruits and vegetables as well, agriculturists said, creating a greater economic and nutrition crisis.

'Food and nutrition security is clearly under threat unless new crop varieties capable of withstanding increased temperatures and droughts are developed,' said professor ASM Golam Hafeez, who teaches agricultural economics and rural sociology at Bangladesh Agricultural University.

'Otherwise, food inflation cannot be checked. Heat will reduce production on the one hand and increase labour and irrigation costs on the other,' he explained.

Bangladesh recorded its longest-ever heatwave of 37 days starting from the last day of March this year, with day temperatures frequently exceeding 40C over vast swathes in central and northern areas, the main rice grain-producing areas.

The second-longest heatwave of 23 days occurred last year when many areas saw day temperatures reach record or near-record levels.

A heatwave occurs when the day temperature reaches or exceeds 36C, which is considered excessively hot for living beings.

Bangladesh is currently in the grip of yet another heatwave that began five days ago.

On Friday, the country's highest maximum day temperature of 39.6C was recorded in Chuadanga with a fresh two-day heat alert issued by the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.

Officials in the BRRI said that Bangladesh's rice varieties best perform in the temperature range of 20C to 30C. Days getting hotter than 33C during the flowering stage could trigger sterility in paddies, depleting rice production.

Khandakar Iftekharuddaula, head of the plant breeding division, BRRI, claimed that Bangladesh was very close to having its first-ever heat-tolerant rice variety.

'It might take two more years,' he said.

The eight drought-tolerant varieties released since 2011 are not at all popular with farmers, who cultivate varieties imported from India or depend on frequently irrigating their fields.

'Rising temperatures have already put Bangladesh in a precarious situation. The rice cultivation calendar is no longer as it used to be,' said Iftekhar.

Bangladesh cultivates three major types of rice – boro, aus and aman. While boro accounted for more than half of all rice production, aman accounted for 40 per cent of all rice production, and aus 8 per cent.

Boro is planted in winter but harvested in early summer when temperatures rapidly rise. In 2021, standing boro crops covering over 21,000 hectares were destroyed after a hot spell of wind blowing for three hours left paddy fields scalded in over a dozen districts in early April.

Boro, an irrigation-intensive crop, has only one drought-tolerant variety, BRRI 92, which was cultivated in 4.15 per cent of areas where rice was cultivated last year, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension.

Aus, a summer-season rice, usually planted between March and May and harvested between July and August, has only four drought-tolerant varieties – BRRI-42, BRRI-43, BRRI-83, and BRRI-98. The drought-tolerant varieties were released between 2004 and 2020.

The adoption rate of BRRI-42 dropped from 1.93 per cent in 2018 to 0.84 per cent in 2022 while the adoption rate of BRRI-43 dropped from 2.90 per cent in 2017 to 0.96 in 2022. The varieties of BRRI-83 and BRRI-98 are not cultivated anywhere.

The summer rice cultivation area was reduced by two-thirds compared with 1972. Aus production, however, increased due to the development of high-yielding varieties.

Aman, on the other hand, is planted in two periods – between March and April and June and July. Aman is a rain-fed crop, but it has faced serious challenges because of both excessive rain and temperatures over the past few years. Aman is harvested between October and December.

Aman has three drought-tolerant varieties – BRRI 56, BRRI-66 and BRRI-71. The adoption rate of BRRI 56 hit 3.18 per cent in 2022, while BRRI 66 was not cultivated in the field. The BRRI 71, released in 2015, reached an adoption rate of 0.73 per cent in 2022.

A drought-tolerant variety is somewhat heat-tolerant. The BRRI 71 is the most potential variety, which can survive without rain for up to three weeks during the flowering stage. But its adoption is very poor.

'Farmers use locally released varieties less because they have access to better-performing varieties from India,' said Siddikur Rahman, a senior scientific officer of agricultural economy at BRRI.

Some DAE officials seeking anonymity said that the performance of drought-tolerant varieties is not the same as described by the BRRI.

High temperatures and droughts impact rice plants at every stage of their growth. The higher the temperature, the more the rice plant uses its energy to cool off rather than forming grain. High temperatures and drought also dry up the sticky substance on which pollen is stuck in the process of pollination.

BRRI officials explained that the temperature staying above 36C even for a very brief period could seriously hamper flowering, particularly between the hours of 9:30am and 11:30am.

The BRRI advises farmers to maintain a water depth of five to seven centimetres in rice fields when a heatwave blows.

A recent study released by the BMD revealed that heatwaves became more frequent from late March to October in much of Bangladesh, particularly after 2000.

The report also revealed that the temperature also increased across all seasons between 1980 and 2023.

During the longest heatwave, the country's highest day temperature of 43.8C was recorded in Jashore on April 30, the hottest day in over three decades.

Districts such as Chuadanga and Jashore saw day temperatures stay at 40C or above for almost three weeks between mid-April and early May.

Day temperatures frequently exceeded 40C in Dhaka, which saw its peak at 40.5C on April 30, the second hottest day in the capital in the past 64 years.​

 

[Saif]

ADAPTING LIFE IN SATKHIRA: Turning saline wastelands into fertile fields

Breaking News, International News & Multimedia

thedailynewnation.com

ADAPTING LIFE IN SATKHIRA: Turning saline wastelands into fertile fields
18 May 2024, 12:05 am



Staff Reporter :

The community in Satkhira, a district in Bangladesh afflicted by high soil salinity due to the unauthorized withdrawal of water from trans-boundary rivers by India, initially abandoned traditional crop cultivation.

They briefly shifted to shrimp farming, but as the soil's salt content worsened and freshwater became scarce, this too became untenable. Faced with dwindling options, the community resorted to digging ponds to store fresh water for year-round use.

The situation in Satkhira, as well as in the broader areas of Khulna and Jashore, reflects a harsh transformation from multi-crop farmlands to areas capable of supporting only one crop per year, if any. Many farmers, unable to sustain even a single annual crop, migrated to Jashore or began creating reservoirs to collect sweet water.

In areas like Khutikata village in the Kashimari Union under Shyamnagar Upazila, farming had ceased for decades due to severe salinity. However, recent efforts involving the construction of rainwater ponds have revitalized agriculture, enabling the growth of corn, vegetables, and other crops.

Farmers have successfully cultivated a variety of crops including gourd, pumpkin, papaya, dherash, puishak, ucche, and cucumber. These successes are inspiring neighboring farmers and showing a promising future for agriculture in the area.

Nirmal Sarkar, a local farmer, reported significant improvements thanks to assistance from Syngenta, which has provided ponds, fertilizers, seeds, and other agricultural inputs. This support has not only allowed crops to flourish on saline lands but also significantly boosted farmers' incomes, with earnings of Tk 30,000 to 50,000 per bigha.

Hedayet Ullah, Managing Director of Syngenta Bangladesh Limited, highlighted that the innovative agricultural practices introduced by Syngenta have enabled farmers to cultivate up to three different crops per year, despite the challenging conditions. This has markedly improved both the capacity and the quality of life for the farmers.

The efforts align with multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and serve as a model for combating climate change risks. The Go Grow project, backed by the Directorate of Agricultural Extension (DAE), BINA, DA's SAC Scheme, and SRDI, has expanded from an initial group of 40 farmer families and continues to grow.

Training programmes cover various modern agricultural techniques including vermicompost production, solar-powered irrigation, and optimized use of seeds and pesticides.

Satkhira District Commissioner Mohammad Humayun Kabir emphasized the critical need to develop sustainable agricultural practices to ensure economic independence and resilience against natural calamities like storms, floods, drought, and salinity.

These efforts not only aim to restore agricultural productivity but also to secure a stable and prosperous future for the farmers of Satkhira."​