Gazi Mahida Mizan, Satkhira
About 50 farmers in Satkhira received local varieties of crops seeds in an event arranged by Tuzulpur Krishak Club with facilitation of BARCIK recently. With the slogan ‘Farmer’s Seed, Farmer’s Right’, Tujulpur farmers’ club distributed crop seeds to these farmers which the club members conserved in the seed bank.
Satkhira Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer SM Mofizul Islam presided over the event and General Secretary of Tuzulpur Krishak Club Golam Rahman took to role to moderate the event. Chief Scientific officer of Deputy Rice Research Insitute Mr. Rafiqul Islam attended as chief guest of the event and the special guest include Assistant Agriculture Officer Kiranmoy Sarkar, Farm Manager of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Asim Kumar Biswas, UP Member Shariful Islam and Yarb Hossain, founder of Gacher Pathshala (Tree library).
While distributing seeds among the farmers Yarb Hossain, founder of Seed Bank, said, ‘Some fraudulent seed companies and seed manufacturers sell unsuitable seeds to farmers. As a result, they do not get the expected harvest. That is why this seed bank has been established in Tuzulpur village of Sadar upazila of Satkhira. Farmers will be able to exchange and receive seeds from this seed bank with free of cost.’
Deputy Assistant Agriculture Officer Kiranmoy Sarkar said, ‘Farmers are being deceived by buying seeds. So I think the distribution of these seeds among the farmers will be very useful. I hope that this will reduce the use of hybrid seeds as well.’
However, farmers are found to be very happy to get the seeds of this free crop. Local farmer Anisur Rahman thus said, ‘I am very happy to get this free rice seed. I hope I will be benefited a lot farming these seeds in my lands.’
Another farmer Abdul Majid said, `We will benefit a lot from getting these seeds through the seed bank. Along with these seeds we have also received and learned advices from the experienced farmers and agriculture officials regarding farming crops, seed conservation and keeping the agriculture production alive which helps us a lot.’
The farmers who received seeds from the seed banks assure that they will farm these seeds in the crops lands with utmost care and will return the seeds to Tuzulpur Seed Bank once they harvest crops.
It is to mention that among others in the seed distribution event BARCIKs research assistant Mahida Mizan, youth organizer Jahangir Alam, journalist Shahinur Rahman, Nayan Mandal and many others were also present.
