2024-07-04 09:16:53
Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) has excavated and re-excavated 11 thousand 402 km of canals of various categories nationwide in the past 15 years, said Agriculture Minister Md. Abdus Shaheed.
He gave this information in response to a written question of MP Mushtaq Ahmed Ruhi in the session of the National Assembly on Tuesday (July 2). Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury presided over the session.
The Agriculture Minister said that Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) has excavated and re-excavated 11,402 kilometers of canals of various categories across the country in the last 15 years. Through which it has played a groundbreaking role in alleviating the flooding of wide areas, expanding irrigation facilities and increasing crop production in the agricultural lands of the respective areas.
In response to MP Nurunnabi Chowdhury’s question. Abdus Shaheed said, in the financial year 2008-09, 1 lakh 96 thousand 71 metric tons of pulses were produced in Bangladesh. In the financial year 2022-23, it has increased almost five times and the production has reached 10 lakh 8 thousand 47 metric tons.
Mentioning the significant activities undertaken to increase the production of pulses in the country, the minister said that the government is providing various types of support for rapid expansion of modern research and innovative technologies required for the development of high-yielding varieties at the farmer level to increase the production of pulses. Currently, activities are being carried out for human resource development for world-class research, modern research facilities and supply of quality seeds at the farmer level through ongoing partner projects. Besides, research activities for development and extension of pulse crop are being strengthened through Regional Pulse Research Centre, Madaripur Development Project and cooperative project with GIFS, Canada. In order to increase the production of pulses in the country, BADC is implementing the project ‘Modernization of pulses and oilseeds cultivation farm in Subarnachar Upazila of Noakhali district and seed production and processing through contract farmers’ from April 2020 to December 2025. Through this project, 52 metric tons of dal seeds of high yielding varieties have been produced in the financial year 2022-23.
He said that the Directorate of Agricultural Extension has been encouraging farmers to grow various pulse crops in pastures and uncultivated fallows such as Maskalai, Khesari. At present, a project on the production and management of high-quality pulses, oil and spice seeds has been proposed at the farmer level, where 10,000 metric tons of high-quality seeds will be produced through the exhibition of 28,750 different types of pulses.