RAJSHAHI, March 29, 2022 (BSS) - Experts have urged the farmers to cultivate
groundnut in char (riverbed) areas for improving their living and livelihood
conditions along with meeting the nutritional deficiency.
 
They mentioned that there are immense prospects of boosting acreage of
groundnut and its yield in the riverbed areas as its soil texture and climate
condition is suitable for the cash crop farming.

The agricultural scientists and researchers came up with the observation
while addressing a field day meeting for demonstrating fields of high-
yielding groundnut at Char Mazar Diar village in Paba upazila of the district
yesterday.
 
Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) organized the meeting on
behalf of its project titled "Popularizing of High Valued Unconventional
Fruit and Medicinal Crop in the Barind Area".
 
Around 30 farmers joined the meeting and they were given knowledge on how to
boost the yield of groundnut and uplift their living condition.
 
BMDA has been implementing the five-year project in 13 upazilas of Rajshahi,
Chapainawabganj and Naogaon districts at a cost of around Taka 17.34 crore
since early last year.

The meeting was told that nine farmers were given 200 kilograms of groundnut
seeds and other requisite knowhow free of cost for cultivation in the Mazar
diar village on behalf of the project.

With the breakthrough of incentives and inspiration, the beneficiaries and
their fellow farmers have cultivated the crop on around 200 bigha of land
this season and the present farming condition is mind-blowing.

Project Director ATM Rafiqul Islam addressed the meeting as the chief guest
with Executive Engineer Zinnurine Khan in the chair.

Assistant Engineer Kamrul Islam and Assistant Manager Monirul Islam also
spoke.
 
Principal Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute Dr
Jagadish Chandra Barman spoke as focal person disseminating his expertise on
the issue, adding groundnuts need less water and it is more profitable than
other crops in the riverbed area.

Rafiqul Islam said the project is being implemented with the main focus of
boosting commercial farming of the high-valued fruits in the project-covering
areas.
 
"We've set the target of establishing 22 orchards for fruits, 20 for field
crops, eight for spices and two for beverages," he said, adding that most of
the highly valued nonconventional fruits, field crops, spices and herbs will
be brought under demonstration.

Around 52 demonstration orchards will be generated aimed at boosting
production of high-valued non-conventional fruits and medicinal crops through
popularizing farming of those.
 
Around 4.15 lakh saplings and 2,000 kilograms of seeds of nonconventional
fruits and crops will be distributed among the farmers free of cost on behalf
of the project to increase such orchards.
 
Some 1,500 farmers and 310 officers and employees concerned will be imparted
training on production, transplantation, nurturing and other techniques of
the seedlings.
 
Upon successful implementation by June, 2025, the project is expected to
contribute a lot to enhance the number of orchards of nonconventional fruits
and medicinal crops.