Flood affected farmers to get free seeds, fertiliser
A delegation from the International Potato Centre met with the agriculture minister
Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque said the government has decided to provide seeds and fertiliser free of cost to flood affected farmers across the country.
“We have also decided to allocate Tk120 crore to rehabilitate farmers affected by flood,” the minister told reporters on Thursday, after a meeting with the visiting delegation from the International Potato Centre’s South Asian branch.
The three-member delegation was headed by its Regional Coordinator Dr US Singh.
“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already directed authorities concerned on whether the existing allocation needs to be increased to meet the demands of affected farmers,” the minister said.
He added that the government has already provided 30kg rice per person to many flood affected farmers and the floods will not have a serious effect on crops.
Later, the minister revealed that the International Potato Centre wants to set up a potato patent centre in Bangladesh.
“This potato patent centre will develop local varieties of potato under international standard. We have produced local potato for the last 20 years which is not up to the mark. We will bring standard potato seeds from India, the Netherlands and Peru to increase the production of local potato varieties,” Dr Razzaque said.
He added that a total of 1.10 crore tonnes of potato has been produced this year and surplus amount is more 30 lakh tonnes.