Muhammad Ali, Bandarban district representative: A world-class tissue culture lab is being built in Sadar Upazila of the district. After the completion of its construction work, the research will be started in the mountain agriculture to disease-free seedlings, local farmers will get the improved varieties of fruit and flower seedlings at an affordable price.
The work on the tissue culture laboratory cum horticulture center under construction at Balaghata is nearing completion. This project costing 16 crore 46 lakh 15 thousand taka will be handed over to the authorities by the coming December.
It has been seen on the ground that the main structure of the lab building, hardening chamber, nursery shed and training room under the 'Tissue Culture Laboratory cum Horticulture Center Establishment and Development' project of the Department of Agriculture Extension has been completed. Now the work of interior decoration and installation of modern equipment is going on.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension, when the lab is opened, sterile seedlings of different varieties of fruits and flowers will be produced locally. It will increase the yield by 25-30 percent and reduce the damage caused by diseases.
Balaghata farmer Thoainu Aung Marma said, 'We grow banana plantations, but half the trees die from disease. It costs a lot of money to buy good seedlings. If this is the lab, we will get disease-free seedlings at a low price.
Bagan Para farmer Chingyen Mro said, 'We don't get good quality seedlings. Even if you get it, the price is high. If you have a lab, you will get quality seedlings at hand. We can send fruits to Dhaka-Chittagong by producing different varieties of fruits in hill land. It will bring a big revolution in hill agriculture.
Mathui Marma, a woman farmer of Dolupara, told this reporter, "Earlier we used to work only on Zoom. Now I can do commercial gardening with lab seedlings. If girls are trained in the lab, we can also learn the work of producing seedlings. It will bring additional income to the family.
Mozaffar Hossain, the contractor of the project, said, "The contract for the construction of the tissue culture laboratory cum horticulture center in Balaghata is within 18 months. As such, I hope to be able to complete 100% of the work by December and hand it over to the Department of Agricultural Extension.
Liton Debnath, Deputy Director of Bandarban Horticulture Center told SaraBangla,This building is the tissue culture lab. Where seedlings will be made using tissue. This lab will open new horizons in agriculture in Chittagong Hill Tracts. It is a world class lab, there are five such labs across Bangladesh. Bandarban is one of them. If this lab is opened, a large number of fruit and flower seedlings will be available in a short period of time at low cost. Tissue seedlings are exportable in terms of quality. In the future, apart from the three hill districts, it is possible to export these seedlings to Cox's Bazar and Chittagong.
He also said, 'Our work is progressing rapidly. In the meantime, the purchase of machinery has also started. Once the building is operational, the lab will be operational by August-September. There is no benefit in just opening the building. Our main objective is to start this lab and create seedlings. Seedlings made in this lab are free from viruses and bacteria. One good tree can produce thousands of seedlings of exactly the same quality. The yield is also high.
Those concerned say that this tissue culture lab at Balaghata in Bandarban will meet the needs of farmers not only in Bandarban, but also in Rangamati, Khagrachari, Cox's Bazar and Chittagong. Through this hilly fruit-It will also facilitate the development of commercial flower gardens and export markets.
