Desk Report: Hydroponic farming system was displayed at Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute BARI Gazipur headquarters on last February 2019. 'over the past four decades, the Institute has developed 543 new varieties of cereals, tubers, oilseeds, pulses and other crops, and has also developed 505 technologies to the benefit of Bangladesh’s farmers'.
In oriental farming practices, agriculture has long been a back breaking laborious job. Not anymore. Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), a premier seat of agro-research in the country, has developed many farm machineries and production technologies for the ease of farmers.
Take the BARI-developed urea super granule (USG) applicator as an example. Urea commonly sprayed by hand in rice lands in Bangladesh but deep placement of USG (popularly known as Guti Urea) into puddles enhances the soil's nitrogen absorption capacity and gives farmers up to three times better results. But placing USG is laborious and a back-breaking job. BARI’s Farm Machinery and Postharvest Process Engineering Department came up with a simple USG applicator technology so that farmers can now apply urea granules with ease.
BARI was organized a display of its farm technologies, machineries, and other post harvesting processes that helped Bangladesh’s farming community to graduate from traditional laborious farming practices to modern farming practices. The display had an array of new technologies like potato planters, hot water treatment for fruits, solar irrigation systems, and hydroponic farming systems.
The farm machinery division’s senior scientific officer, Dr Muhammad Arshadul Hoque was said it’s encouraging that over 18,000 units of USG applicators have been sold out and farmers are benefitting by using the simple machine. He was displayed how a simple hot water treatment technology helps give perishable fruits a better shelf life. If such technologies and practices are maintained, he was said traders would no longer need to spray poisonous chemicals to preserve mangoes or bananas for a longer period of time.
According to BARI’s high officials over the past four decades, the Institute has developed 543 new varieties of cereals, tubers, oilseeds, pulses and other crops, and has also developed 505 technologies to the benefit of Bangladesh’s farmers.
Agriculture Secretary Md. Nasiruzzaman was said, thanks to the development of high yielding varieties, technologies, and farm machineries, Bangladesh’s vegetable output has increased threefold over the past one decade and yearly production of maize has reached 38 lakh metric tons now, from just five lakh MT back in 2006.
Speaking at a discussion organized on the sidelines of the farm technology display, 94-year old national emeritus scientist, Dr Kazi M Badruddoza, made a fervent call to the government to provide agricultural scientists with better pay packages, incentives, and rewards to stop brain drain and help the country’s farm sector prosper further.
Agriculture Minister Dr. Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, who also took interest in BARI-developed varieties, technologies and machineries was told the scientists present there to properly transfer the successes achieved in laboratories to the farmers’ fields. Assuring them of better facilities and opportunities, the agriculturist-turned-minister, asked them to help Bangladesh become self-sufficient in maize production.
Source: Online
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