Vegetable farming, particularly seed-potato, through tissue culture has brought a silent revolution in the agricultural sector in Rajshahi region, including its vast Barind tract, for the last couple of years.
Scores of farmers of the region have built their fortunes through growing quality crops especially potatoes through using tissue cultured saplings.
To feed farmers with sterile saplings, more than 25 tissue culture laboratories are now functioning commercially in Rajshahi. Farmers are producing crops or vegetables by using these plantlets.
Already many farmers attained bumper production of potato, tomato, strawberry, banana and gerbera flower after producing plantlets of those through using tissue culture technology and many of them changed their fortune. "In addition to the government institutions, many private entrepreneurs are showing interest to boost the mother potato- seed production locally," says Abdur Rahim, a farmer of Bargachhi village under Paba Upazila.
He said the potato growers are very interested to cultivate potatoes through using the foundation seeds as they have been reaping more yields.
Another farmer Golam Rasul from Godagari Upazila said the tissue culture seeds are 100 percent virus and disease free, healthy, high quality and environment-friendly in addition to comparatively higher-yielding and hygienic. ATM Rafiqul Islam, Deputy Manager (Agriculture) of Barind Multipurpose Development Authorities, said there is a bright prospect of overcoming the existing crisis of breeder potato-seed through successful expansion of tissue culture technology. Professor Dr Monzur Hossain of Department of Botany in Rajshahi University depicted the salient features of the technology and mentioned that potato production could be enhanced to at least 50 percent more on the existing acreage if only the quality seed are ensured among the growers.
He said importance should be given on encouraging the farmers on the best uses of the developed technology to enhance the quality of seeds production. "Qualitative and quantitative production completely depends on quality seeds." To meet-up the local demands, the nation has to depend on imports from abroad through spending huge hard-earned foreign currencies.
"We can reduce dependence on import enhancing domestic production through proper and best uses of the modern technologies in the farming," he said, adding that the tissue culture is one of the potential and proven technologies. Khayer Uddin Mollah, Additional Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), said the private entrepreneurs and farmers have been showing their keen interest in producing the potato-seed after using the tissue culture technology. He added that there has been a tremendous demand for tissue cultured saplings in Rajshahi.
Not only farmers, but also many educated youths, business personnel and traders have become self-reliant by using tissue cultured saplings in this region, he added. Meanwhile, around 33.42 lakh tonnes of potato are expected to be produced from 1.64 lakh hectares of land in all eight districts of the division during the current Rabi season.
Official data showed the target of producing 13.11 lakh tonnes of potato has been set from 61,590 hectares of land in four districts of Rajshahi Agricultural Zone, while 20.31 lakh tonnes from 1.03 lakh hectares in four other districts of Bogura zone.
