SYLHET: Agriculture scientists and researchers at an event in Sylhet on Thursday stressed the need for boosting production of all season beans and other vegetables through application of modern farming process and high -yielding variety seeds.
Senior academics of the Sylhet Agricultural University (SAU), leading farmers and senior DAE officials took part in the daylong workshop on 'Productivity enhancement of beans in Sylhet region through on station and on farm research approaches'.
SAU VC Prof Dr Md Matiar Rahman Howlader in his address as the chief guest said the research findings of agriculture scientists should be disseminated at grassroots through DAE and others so that common farmers can achieve highest yield. It would help us ensuring safe food production, he added. Still we have a lot of things to do for raising the agri- production in the country as the food demand is on rise day by day. Raising vegetables including bean varieties during both winter and summer would help meet our nutrition demand and balanced food intake.
Dr Jiban Krishna Biswas, Executive Director, Krishi Gobeshona Foundation, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), Dilip Kumer Adhikary, Additional Director, DAE, Dr Md Asad-ud-Doullah, Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Professor Dr Fuad Mandal, Dr Biswajit Debnath, Co-Investigator of the project and Md. Akkas Ali PhD, Director (Crops and Natural Resources), KGF addressed the workshop. Prof. Dr Syed Sayeem Uddin Ahmed, Director (Research), SAU, chaired the event.
In his keynote presentation Professor Dr Md Shahidul Islam, Principal Investigator of the Project, said the objective of the project is selecting and popularising suitable varieties of beans and disseminating the production technology of bean crops in Sylhet region.
The researchers said beans are important vegetable, which are mostly grown in winter in Bangladesh. These are rich sources of protein as well as vitamins and minerals which are essential nutrients for human health.
Some varieties of country bean are grown in summer but their pod bearing capacity and pod quality are needed to be improved. Sylhet region is famous for citrus and tea production although there is an ample scope to increase vegetable production since large area of cultivable land remains fallow during both Rabi and Kharif season.
Improving bean production in Sylhet region is possible if suitable variety and production technologies are available. Production of beans is very easy and some varieties like French bean, yard long bean are quick-growing in nature which are, therefore, can easily be incorporated in the present cropping pattern in this region, the workshop was told.
SAU and Horticulture Research Centre of BARI had developed some promising varieties of different beans, which are high yielding and very popular in some parts of the country.
But, a very few researches have been conducted along with extension efforts to improve bean production in Sylhet region. The 3-year research project is, therefore, undertaken to improve the bean production in Sylhet region, the event was told.