RAJSHAHI, June 20, 2022 (BSS)- The Barind Multipurpose Development Authorities (BMDA) is intended to make its service deliveries digitized with the main thrust of boosting crop production through benefiting the farmers in general.

BMDA, the ever-largest irrigation-providing state-run entity in the country's northwest region, has started developing two software under the integrated digital service delivery platform supported by the ministry of agriculture, A2I, and Syntech Solution Ltd for digitizing the services.

The softwares are: Crop, Seed, Germplasm and Fertilizer production, development, distribution and service management system and Irrigation, water and scheme management system. These were revealed in a daylong meeting related to the integrated digital service delivery platform held at the BMDA Headquarters conference hall in the city Sunday.

Chairman Begum Akhter Jahan addressed the meeting as chief guest, while its Executive Director Engineer Abdur Rashid was in the chair. Additional Chief Engineer Dr Abul Kashem, Superintending Engineer Nazirul Islam and Executive Engineers Enamul Kader, Tofazzal Ali and Rafiqul Hassan also spoke.

  Engineer Rashid told the meeting that they are promoting an improved agriculture and environment in the country's northwest region, including its vast Barind tract. They are working with the mission of expanding irrigated areas and farming fields, development of irrigation infrastructure, production and marketing of quality seed and tree plantation for environmental development, he said.

In the last three years, 229 irrigation pumps, including 79 low lift pumps driven by solar power, were installed coupled with re-functioning of 69 deep-tube-wells and new power connection to 150 irrigation pumps were made, he added. Around 7,500 hectares of land were brought under controlled irrigation through construction and extension of 903-kilometer underground irrigation canals, the BMDA official said.

Apart from this, 8,500 hectares of land have been brought under supplementary irrigation through using surface water as a result of re-excavation of 170.5-kilometer canals and 38 derelict ponds, construction of 385 dug-wells and 23 cross-dams.

Rashid attributed that the digitization will contribute a lot towards reaching the services to the farmers' doorsteps.