City Desk :
A workshop on Community Seed Bank and Adaptive Research was organised on September 24, 2025, at the seminar hall of the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) headquarters in Dhaka.
The event was funded by BADC’s partner projects and initiated by the Research Cell. Participants included professors from Gazipur Agricultural University, representatives from various agricultural institutions, department and wing heads of BADC, and field officials, says a press release.
Md. Ruhul Amin Khan, Chairman (Grade-1) of BADC, attended the workshop as the chief guest. He highlighted BADC’s undeniable role in the overall agricultural system of the country.
Emphasising research, he noted that BADC has so far released 39 varieties of crops and fruits and currently has ongoing research in 14 subject areas through its Research Cell.
The Chairman also informed that BADC has established 10 community seed banks, focusing on restoring nearly extinct local crop varieties. Ongoing research is being conducted to recover 70 local rice varieties, including Katari Bhog, Kalizira, Tulsimala, Rataboro, and Gainja, at three seed multiplication farms. He remarked that cultivation of regionally suitable local rice varieties remains limited in many parts of the country.
Md. Ruhul Amin Khan expressed that continued research through community seed banks would not only help restore indigenous varieties but also encourage farmers to engage more actively in cultivating them.
