Seed Crisis In Sidr-hit Areas
Multinationals try to push in hybrid paddy seeds
Agents of multinational companies have started propagation in a bid to introduce one-time usable foreign hybrid paddy seeds in the Sidr-affected southern region, where scarcity of high yielding local varieties of paddy seeds loom large.
The initiative, if becomes successful, is likely to cause permanent crisis and lead to the extinction of local varieties of paddy, agriculturists said in a tone of warning.
More than seventy per cent farmers in the southern region use local varieties of paddy seeds -- white coarse, red coarse, nakuchi, moulta, kartikshail, rajashail, vushihara and other types, sources of Barisal Agriculture Extension Department said.
In Jhalakathi, Barisal and Pirojpur districts, 34, 44 and 54 local varieties of paddy are usually cultivated.
Dr Md Shahidul Islam, senior scientific officer of Barisal centre of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, said farmers in the region are accustomed to cultivating paddy with local varieties of seeds that are more suitable than 'high yielding' hybrid seeds in view of geographical condition and capacity to resist different types of pests and natural calamities.
Thirty to forty-two per cent under cultivation Amon paddy in the Sidr-affected region have been destroyed and preserving paddy for seeds after meeting the demands for food and other necessities has become difficult.
Agricultural experts said lands used for paddy cultivation in this region are low or mid-raised and suitable for using local varieties of paddy seeds. So immediate government initiatives are needed for collecting paddy to use in preparing standard quality of local varieties of paddy seeds before the farmers sell it or use for food.
Md Basiruddin, additional director of Barisal AED, said the disaster caused by hurricane Sidr will lead to crisis of Amon paddy seeds for the next season and they are suggesting farmers in the region to prepare seeds from the partially damaged paddy.
Taking the opportunities of seed crisis for next Amon season, agents of different multinational companies have already started propagation for marketing hybrid foreign varieties of seeds that usable for one time only.
They are trying to lure farmers telling them about high production rates and assuring constant supply of sufficient seeds for the coming seasons.
They also claim that these genetically modified foreign seeds have better pest and disaster resistance capacity.
Agriculture experts and farmers in the region, on the other hand, said introduction of foreign seeds will threaten extinction of local varieties of paddy that have good taste and greater food values.
Besides, production cost will rise as foreign varieties need more care and costly fertiliser, irrigation and pesticides.
So the government should take initiative for collection, preparation, development and supply of local varieties of paddy seeds and take measures so that farmers are not lured to use foreign seeds for 'more profit' for the time being, they said.
Ultimately it would endanger agriculture in the future by giving monopoly to multinational companies in the country's agricultural sector, they added.
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