Vice-Chancellor of Sylhet Agricultural University Professor Dr Md Alimul Islam said that the use of modern and sustainable agricultural technology has become essential due to the country’s growing population, the impacts of climate change and the shrinking amount of cultivable land. In this context, initiatives to expand onion and mustard cultivation in the Sylhet region and to enhance early maturity and storage capacity through silicon technology are highly significant.
He further said that onion is an essential spice crop in Bangladesh, but due to higher demand than domestic production, large quantities of onions have to be imported every year. Expanding onion and mustard cultivation through the use of silicon could play an important role in ensuring Bangladesh’s future food security. This would not only increase agricultural production but also strengthen the national economy by raising farmers’ incomes, utilizing fallow land properly and reducing import costs.
The Vice-Chancellor made these remarks as the chief guest at the concluding workshop of a research project titled ‘Silicon Mediated Scale-Up of Onion and Mustard Farming in Sylhet Region and Enhancement of Early Maturity with Postharvest Delay of Bulb for Future Food Security of Bangladesh,’ funded by BAS-USDA. The workshop was held on Saturday (9 May) at the conference room of the Faculty of Fisheries at Sylhet Agricultural University.
At the workshop, information regarding the research activities and findings was presented by the project’s principal researcher, Professor Dr Md Kamrul Hasan of the Department of Agricultural Chemistry and co-principal researcher Professor Dr Md Shahadat Hossain of the Department of Soil Science.
The workshop, chaired by Professor Dr Mohammad Mahbub Iqbal, Director of SAURES, was attended by Professor Dr Md Shahidul Islam, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Dr Md Mosharraf Hossain, Additional Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension, Sylhet Division, as special guests. Directors of various offices, department heads, chairpersons, teachers from different departments, local farmers, and MS students from the Department of Agricultural Chemistry were also present.
Project officials said that since the croplands in the Sylhet region are acidic, onion and mustard cultivation remains limited like many other crops. The use of silicon in onion and mustard farming significantly increases plant growth, disease resistance, bulb preservation capacity and overall yield of both crops. Press release