BADC takes spl steps for summer onion seed yield

The current government is committed to developing agriculture through modern and smart agricultural management. In line with this, a specific action plan has been taken for the production of quality summer onion seeds (N-53 and Bari-5 varieties) for the first time in the country through Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC).

Onion seeds are produced in two seasons in our country. One is winter and the other is summer. In the winter season, the demand for onion seeds by farmers across the country is about 1100-1200 MT.

Against the demand, BADC supplies about 20-30 MT. of winter onion seeds per year on an average. On the other hand, in the summer season, our farmers also take extensive activities for onion production.

Basically, onion seeds are not produced through BADC in the summer season. As per the instructions of the Ministry of Agriculture, summer onion seeds are imported from neighboring India and distributed to farmers as incentives through the Department of Agricultural Extension.

In order to completely reduce the dependence on imports in supplying summer onion seeds to farmers and become self-sufficient, the current government has given utmost importance to domestic production. In line with this, BADC has set a target of producing 110 MT of summer onion seeds within the country in the next three fiscal years. As part of this.

BADC has already taken various action plans and steps to produce 30-40 MT of summer onion seeds in the next production season, the Public Relations Department said.

According to information received from the Public Relations Department, onion seeds of N-53 and Bari-5 varieties will be produced in a total of 23 farms of the organization. In this regard, Chairman, BADC Mr. Md. Azizul Islam said that the issue of producing summer onion seeds for the first time is both challenging and a big achievement for BADC.

Since there is a demand for summer onion seeds among farmers, BADC, an organization under the Ministry of Agriculture mandated to produce seeds at the government level, has to succeed in this challenge. A specific action plan has already been adopted for this purpose after discussions and meetings with the officials in charge of all departments and farms.

At the same time, a Monitoring and Supervision Committee has been formed to provide specific recommendations, including on-site inspections of all activities from seed sowing to threshing (harvest). Chairman, BADC also said that since onion seed production activities are very sensitive, technique-dependent and highly cross-pollinated, all steps must be taken effectively to produce quality summer onion seeds for farmers. The Chairman, BADC also emphasized that no concession will be made in ensuring the quality of the seeds.

If onion seeds are produced through BADC during the summer, on the one hand, import dependence will be reduced and on the other hand, farmers will also be able to get better quality onion seeds at a lower price. It is expected that this will be an important achievement of the government in the field of agricultural production in the country.