RAJSHAHI, May 15, 2024 (BSS) - Agricultural experts and researchers urged their field level colleagues and subordinates to motivate the grassroots farmers towards expanding and promoting citrus fruit farming to meet the gradually mounting demands through boosting production.

 
Present government under the dynamic and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken time-fitting steps to boost the citrus fruit production in Rajshahi division including its vast Brind tract as its soil texture and climatic condition is suitable for the cash crop farming.
 
They came up with the observation while addressing the opening ceremony of a daylong regional workshop titled "Citrus Fruit Crop Extension, Management and Increasing Production in Rajshahi and Bogura region" in Rajshahi today.
 
Rajshahi Regional Office of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) arranged the workshop at the Postal Academy conference hall under the 'Extension, Management and Production Enhancement of Citrus Fruit Project'.
 
DAE Director General Badal Chandra Biswash and Additional Director Dr Motaleb Hossain addressed the workshop as chief and special guests respectively, while DAE Additional Director Sarker Shafi Uddin Ahmed was in the chair.

Regional Director of Seed Certification Agency Shamsuddin Mian and Director of the project Dr Faruque Ahmed also spoke on the occasion.
 
In his remarks, Badal Chandra Biswash said in terms of food and nutritive values green and ripe fruits are vital as these are enriched with enormous vitamin A, B, C, calcium and iron which are essential for the human body irrespective of age and sex. So, boosting fruit farming is very important and helpful for the society as a whole.
 
He said many health experts were seen suggesting their patients to consume more citrus fruits to protect them from coronavirus infection with early recovery.
 
Director of the project Dr Faruque Ahmmed gave an overview of the project besides its implementation strategy during his multimedia presentation.
 
He said it is possible to grow orange, mandarin orange and malta commercially, fulfill the national demand and save foreign exchange by eliminating the problems by developing good varieties and introducing improved management techniques.
 
Under the Citrus Development Project, farmers are being motivated to grow orange, mandarin and other citrus in the favorable growing areas. Women and tribal farmers are also being involved in growing orange, mandarin and citrus through training.
 
Dr Ahmmed told the meeting that the project is intended to cultivate citrus fruits, such as orange, blood orange, malta, local lemon, jara and Colombo lemon, to meet the Vitamin C demand among the population as well as to export them abroad.
 
More than 100 district and upazila level officials and experts from the agricultural extension and research organizations and farmers from all eight districts in Rajshahi division joined the workshop.
 
They were given ideas and knowledge on how to boost the citrus fruit production in Rajshahi division after the best uses of existing natural resources.