Rights and green activists on Monday alleged that two of the country’s main crops — rice and favourite vegetable brinjal — had fallen prey to the multi-national companies because of introduction of seeds of African NERICA rice and Bt brinjal.
They made the allegation at a discussion on ` African NERICA rice and Bt brinjal are threat to biodiversity of agriculture in Bangladesh’ organised by Nayakrishi Andolan and UBINIG at Dhaka Reporters Unity.
They said the Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation had distributed 300 tonnes of ‘enter specific hybrid seed NERICA’ among 37,000 farmers in 83 upazilas in 30 districts in 2012 without any justification or research by the government or the concerned scientists.
The farmers were told that the field duration of this variety of rice was only 90-100 days and flowers in 60 days of sowing. But it did not take place in reality and the farmers were entrapped in serious problem by growing NERICA, said UBINIG executive director Farida Akhter, who presented the keynote paper in the discussion.
UBINIG consultant MA Sobhan, Nari Pakkha president Habibunnesa, researcher Joynal Abedin, Harun-or-Rashid, green activist Mohidul Haque Khan and farmer from Nator Abdul Gani also spoke.
Farida said agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury introduced NERICA rice from Uganda in 2009 and it was developed through international effort for Africa.
Courtesy of New Age
