Agriculture
A number of high value, high yielding and specialized nutrient or vitamin-enriched crop varieties are being expanded under the Unit. These include aromatic and zinc-fortified rice, summer watermelon and tomato, capsicum, squash, rockmelon, beetroot etc. Currently, a good number of expanded technologies – like summer tomato, summer watermelon, different rice varieties – are being replicated significantly. Up to June 2022, a total of 30,234 demonstrations on 32 latest, handy and environment-friendly agricultural technologies were established. In addition, 1,308 field days and 5 exchange visits were arranged to disseminate the positive results of these new environment-friendly technologies among farmers. Besides, 687 USG applicators, 1,17,846 pheromone lures, 27,076 perching sticks and 1,79,752 fruit bags were provided. At the same time, vegetable seeds were distributed among 8,046 households for homestead gardening.
Under the ‘Alternative Crop Production and Generating Multiple IGAs Instead of Tobacco’ program, about 2,100 former tobacco growers are producing high value alternative food crops on 622 hectares of land in Kushtia, Lalmonirhat, Bandarban and Cox’s Bazar districts. They also rear beef cattle, commercial poultry, black bengal goat, pekin duck etc. for additional income.
Realizing the benefits of food crops cultivation over tobacco, 844 tobacco growers have permanently given up tobacco cultivation. About 1,402 hectares of formerly tobacco-growing land is now being used for cultivating food crops.
Fisheries
Aquaculture technologies disseminated in FY 2021-22 include Carp-Mola-Tilapia Fish Polyculture and year-round seasonal vegetable cultivation on pond dikes, Carp-Galda Polyculture, Native Shing-Magur-Pabda-Gulsa-Tengra-Carp Fish Polyculture, Crab Fattening/Soft Shell Crab Culture, Carp Fattening/Carp Fish Fattening, High Value Chital-Ayir-Shol-Carp Fish Polyculture, Vietnam Pangas-Carp Fish Polyculture, Koral-Tilapia-Carp Fish Polyculture, Entrepreneur Development in Fish Fry Rearing/Nursery Pond, Ornamental Fish Culture, Floating Cage Fish Culture, High Value Fish Culture in Tanks, Fish Culture in Biofloc Technology, Semi Fermented Fish Product Development and Marketing, Entrepreneur Development on making Fish Feed, endangered native fish culture etc.
Furthermore, the IAU provides necessary technical services to its members, including market linkage support, entrepreneur development, capacity development as well as establishment of institutional linkages. As of June 2022, a total of 20,947 fish farming demonstrations were established at the farmer level. In addition, 13,257 kgs of fish fries were released into open bodies of water to boost natural fish production and 16,646 fishing gears were distributed among farmers. A total of 449 clusters have been developed, including 109 of carp-mola-tilapia polyculture, 48 of carp-prawn, 61 of shing-magur-pabda-gulsha-carp polyculture, 56 of carp fattening and 44 of nursery pond rearers.
Livestock
During FY 2021-22, the IAU disseminated quite a lot of livestock-rearing technologies that include meat type BAU-bro color chicken rearing, goat fattening, muscovy duck rearing, native chicken conservation, pekin duck rearing, hilly chicken production, artificial hatchery for duck, intensive dairying, safe egg and chicken meat production, livestock product sales center, integrated pigeon production, promoting geese production using natural hatching technique, semi-intensive Black Bengal Goat and Bengal sheep rearing, establishing buck service center, animal feed processing & marketing, commercial fodder production etc. Inputs like breeding material, preventive veterinary services, design for farms and their management are also being provided.
The Livestock program till June 2022 established 56,167 demonstration farms on livestock-related technologies. It has established 235 goat farm clusters, each with at least 15 farms; 135 duck farm clusters with 7-8 farms in each; 139 native chicken farm clusters, each with 13-15 farms; 87 safe egg producing layer farm clusters with at least 10 farms in each, and 123 BAU-Bro color chicken farm clusters, each with 10-12 farms.
As many as 18.7 lakh livestock and poultry animals were vaccinated against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Anthrax, PPR, Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (HS), Black Quarter (BQ), New Castle Disease (ND), and Duck Plague.
In addition, the Unit provided broad spectrum anthelmintics to nearly 5.8 lakh large and small ruminants. California Mastitis Test (CMT) kits were also provided for early detection of mastitis in dairy cattle.
Other Activities
As of June 2022, the IAU trained 21,800 farmers on modern fish farming technologies and another 58,965 farmers on modern livestock farming technologies. The Unit conducted 2,616 ‘Krishi Poramarsha Kendra’. Besides, 250 Livestock and Poultry Service Providers (LPSPs) were developed for providing doorstep veterinary services to farmers.
Expansion of environment-friendly technology
- High-value and new variety crop technology among farmers
- Climate shock-tolerant varieties
- Good agricultural practices for safe vegetable production
- Preservation of native varieties
- Climate-adaptive technology
- Preservation of soil quality
- Food and health management in fish farming
- Climate-adaptive native and high-value fish culture
- Processing and marketing of livestock products
- Environment-friendly waste management, etc.
Financial services:
- Appropriate financial services for farm, fisheries and livestock preservation, processing, marketing and sales
- Technical services for the same
Skills development and management:
- Training farmers for sustainable and environment-friendly development
- Linking POs and relevant PKSF staff with research and educational institutions for knowledge enhancement
Safe food production and marketing:
- Ensure production of safe farm products
- Take effective measures for processing and marketing of these products
