Volume 10 No. I January-March 2012

The BARC Newsletter is published quarterly byBangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARe)to provide news and information on agriculturalresearch and development to the NARS and otherconcerned organizations in Bangladesh.

Any query concerning the Newsletter or itscontents, comments and suggestions may beaddressed to:

The DirectorAgricultural Information CentreBARC, Farmgate, Dhaka-1215, Bangladesh

Phone 880-2-9127407Fax 880-2-8113032E-mail dir-aic@barc.gov.bdWebsite www.barc.gov.bd

In This Issuse :Hon'ble Prime Minister Inaugurated AgricultureTechnology Fair

National Workshop on Research Achievement ofPast ten Years of Pulse and Oilseed Crops

Progress Review and Programme PlanningWorkshop of the Project "Development ofVariety, Cropping System and TechnologyTransfer of Major Cereals for Sustainable Food

Mid-term Review of the PID-BARC activities bythe World Bank-IFAD Mission

Training on Post harvest Management of Fruitsand Vegetables

Workshop on Constraints and Opportunities ofAgroforestry in Newly Accreted Char Land ofBangladesh

Seminar on Assessment of Research Prioritiesfor Crop Sector in Bangladesh

Executive Council Meeting

Dissemination of Nutrition information AmongSchool teachers

Meeting with National Agroforestry WorkingGroup of Bangladesh

Training Course on Technical Report Writingand Editing

Training on Soil Fertility and FertilizerManagement for Crops and Cropping Patterns

Econometric Analysis through DifferentComputer Software

Training Course on Graphic Design UsingSuitable Software

Visit Abroad

Hon'ble Prime Minister Inaugurated AgricultureTechnology FairHon'ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, People'sRepublic of Bangladesh inaugurated the three-dayAgriculture Technology Fair 2012 as chief guest on 1March 2012 at Bangladesh Agricultural ResearchInstitute. The inaugural session was addressed amongothers by the Hon'ble Agriculture Minister MatiaChowdhury MP, Mr. Md. Showkat Momen Shajahan,Hon'ble Chairman of the Parliamentary StandingCommittee on Agriculture Ministry, Mr. AKMMozammel Haque, Hon'ble Chairman of theParliamentary Standing Committee on Land Ministryand Mr. Zahid Ahsan Russel, Hon'ble Chairman of theParliamentary Standing Committee on Youth and SportsMinistry. The session was chaired by Mr. M. MonjurHossain, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture.

Dr. Wais Kabir; Executive Chairman, BARC presenting thekeynote paper

Dr. Wais Kabir, Executive Chairman, BangladeshAgricultural Research Council presented the keynotepaper on "Future of Agriculture Research in Bangladeshwith special focus on the future research thrusts to copewith the adverse impact of climate change." Dr. M.Rafiqul Islam Mondal, Director General of BangladeshAgricultural Research Institute delivered the welcomeaddress and presented a paper on the activities of theBangladesh Agricultural Research Institute. Dr. M.Syedul Islam, Director General, Bangladesh RiceResearch Institute also presented a paper highlightingthe activities of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute.

Hon'ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called uponthe agricultural scientists to carry out viable andproduction oriented agricultural research. Sheurged the scientists for conducting research withtheir full devotion and sincerity with a view toaddressing the problems in agriculture includingthose emerging from the global climate change.The Hon'ble Prime Minister emphasized the needfor developing of flood, drought and salinitytolerant varieties of crops. She also mentioned thatFather of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh MujiburRahman established the Bangladesh AgriculturalResearch Council to create scope for conductingresearch in the agriculture sector apart from settingup separate institutes for conducting research inpaddy, jute and fisheries. Later, she visiteddifferent stalls of the fair and also planted a saplingof BAR! Mango 4 developed by BAR! at the BAR!premises. She also went round the agriculturetechnology demonstration fields. At the function,the prime minister unveiled the cover of ahandbook on agricultural technology.

National Workshop on ResearchAchievement of Past ten Years of Pulse andOilseed Crops and their Future ResearchStrategies for Sustainable Crop Productionand Food SecurityA two-day workshop on Research Achievement ofPast ten Years of Pulse and Oilseed Crops andtheir Future Research Strategies for SustainableCrop Production and Food Security was organizedby the Crops Division, Bangladesh AgriculturalResearch Council during 20-21 March 2012. Theinaugural session was chaired by Dr. Wais Kabir,

Mr. Monjur Hossain, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculturewas addressing as chief guest

Executive Chairman, BARC where Mr. MonjurHossain, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture waspresent as the chief guest. Dr. Abul Kalam Azad,Chief Scientific Officer (Crops), BARC briefed theobjectives of the national workshop and welcomedthe audience. Two keynote papers on Research &Development of Pulses: Past, present and futureand Research and Development of Oil Seeds:Recent past, present and future were presented byDr. M. Matiur Rahman, former Director General,Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute and Dr.Md. Shahidur Rashid Bhuiyan, Professor, Dept. ofGenetics and Plant Breeding, Sher-e-BanglaAgricultural University, Dhaka, respectively. About70 participants including scientists, extensionpersonnel, professors, experts and delegates fromprivate seed companies took part in the workshop.The objective of the workshop was to know theachievement so far made in pulses and oilseedscrops both in public and private sector, and to makerecommendation for the future research on pulsesand oil seeds for sustainable production towardsachieving food security of the country.

Mr. Monjur Hossain, Secretary, MoA in hisopening speech reiterated the need of more pulsesand oilseed production emphasizing food andnutritional security of the people in Bangladesh .The chief guest said that the expansion of both thecrops in charland should be given priority. He alsomentioned that NARS institutes, universities, DAEand BADC should work together for thedevelopment of pulse and oilseeds crops. Hethanked BARC authorities for taking this initiative.The Executive Chairman of BARC, Dr. Wais Kabirsaid that pulses and oilseed areas could beincreased simultaneously by decreasing boro riceand increasing aus rice cultivation. He emphasizedinternational cooperation for exchanginggermplasm and human resources development. Thetechnical session of the workshop was followed bythe inaugural session. Twenty technical paperswere presented in the technical sessions by BAR! ,BRRI, BINA, BSRI, DAB, BADC, SCA, BAU,BSMRAU, SAU, BRAC and Lal Teer Seed Co.Ltd. The workshop was ended amidst the adoptionof following recommendations for pulse andoilseed crops:

• Collection, conservation, characterizationand utilization of the germplasm of pulseand oilseed crops

• Development of climate resilient varietiesand technologies for pulses with high yieldpotential, and short duration mungbean inKharif-l, blackgram in Kharif-II, chickpeain Barind and Sylhet areas, cowpea,mungbean, lathyrus varieties in thesouthern districts, similarly, groundnut,sunflower and soybean for oilseed crops inthe southern region

Development of high yield potential, shortduration, resistant/tolerant to insect pestand disease varieties of oilseed and pulsesfor target areas and patterns

Improvement of postharvest handling,storage, and processing of pulses to reducelosses and retain quality; and developmentof new machineries for mechanizedcultivation

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• Production of breeder and quality seed ofimproved varieties, distribution andestablishment of seed multiplication farm

Reduction of yield gap through applicationof appropriate production packages

Strengthen scientists' skills through providinghigher training specially on plant breeding

Establishment of linkages with national andinternational organizations.

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Progress Review and Programme PlanningWorkshop of the Project "Development ofVariety, Cropping System and TechnologyTransfer of Major Cereals for SustainableFood Security in Bangladesh"A day long workshop on Development of Variety,Cropping System and Technology Transfer ofMajor Cereals for Sustainable Food Security inBangladesh was organized by the Crops Division,BARC on 4th March 2012 at BARC conference

, room to review the progress of the AFA CI foodsecurity project so far made by the implementinginstitutes. About 50 scientists and officers fromBARI , BRRI, BARC, DAE & BADC participatedin this workshop. The inaugural session of theworkshop was chaired by Dr. Wais Kabir,Executive Chairman, BARC and the participantswere welcomed by Dr. Md. KhalequzzamanAkanda Chowdhury, Member Director, Crops,

BARC. The progress status of AFACI food securityproject activities was presented by Dr. Mian SyedHassan, PSG, Crops, BARC and Co-PI of theproject. Dr. Hassan mentioned that during 2010-12, BRRI conducted 7 programmes on varietalimprovement of Boro and T. Aman rice, 3 oncropping systems, and 3 on technology transfer and3 programmes on varietal improvement of wheatand 3 on technology transfer by WRC, BAR!.Demonstration on wheat and Boro rice by DAEand quality seed production of boro rice by BADCare in progress. Dr. Sirajul Islam, Director,Research, BARI mentioned that seeds should becollected from local demo plots and distributedamong the farmers. Dr. Shamser Ali, Director,Research, BRRI said that some encouraging resultswere already achieved from limited fund and morethrust should be given to wheat cultivation insouthern area to minimize import of wheat. Morerice genotypes need to be evaluated in saline zone.Dr. Chowdhury mentioned that priority should begiven on location specific problem and technologyneeds to be developed accordingly. Dr. Wais Kabir,Executive Chairman, BARC urged the scientists touse the best practices in agriculture by adoptingnew technology and hepend that sharing ofknowledge of the Asian countries through thisproject could be achieved. He also emphasized theimprovement of skills and knowledge of thescientists through this type of project in order toachieve the desired goal in agricultural production.

Dr. Wais Kabir; Executive Chairman, BARC addressingin the inaugural session of the workshop

In the technical session, progress reports andprogrammes (2012-13) of Bangladesh RiceResearch Institute and Bangladesh AgriculturalResearch Institute were presented by Dr. Md.Nasim, PSG, BRRI and Dr. Naresh Chandra

Barman, PSO, Wheat Research Centre; BARIrespectively. Besides, Dr. Binoy Kumar Sen,Deputy Director (Extension), Department ofAgricultural Extension and Mr. Abu HossainMollah, DGM (Seed), Bangladesh AgriculturalDevelopment Corporation also presented theirprogress reports and programmes of 2012-13cropping year. Some suggestion/comments weremade viz., i) strong linkage between central (HQs)and regional/sub-stations of BAR! and BRRl shouldbe developed. Station-in-charge should be informedabout the programme and station-in-charge ofdifferent sub-stations should be involved during theimplementation of research work and given the fullresponsibility of all activities of AFACI project; ii)DAE will set up demonstrations of wheat (Var.Bijoy, BAR! Gom 25 & 26 in a 9 hectare area) andboro (area 5 ha) in 2012-13 programme in the sameUpazilla (Fakirhat). WRC, BAR! will provide wheatseeds; iii) manuscript for wheat and rice cultivationbooklet should be submitted by the focal points ofBAR! and BRRl within 15 March 2012; and iv)production programme on wheat variety BAR!Gom 25/26(1 hectare) at saline area of ARS,BARI/adjacent farmers' field of Satkhira to beundertaken in 2012-13.

Mid-term Review of the PIU-BARCactivities by the World Bank-IFAD MissionA joint mission of the World Bank and theInternational Fund for Agricultural Development(IFAD) performed a Mid Term Review (MTR) ofthe National Agricultural Technology Project(NATP) including its major research componentimplemented by the Project Implementation Unit(PIU) of BARC during 7-22 March 2012. Thepurpose of the MTR was to assess the relevance ofthe design and institutional arrangements of theproject along with implementation effectiveness inmeeting the NATP development objectives. Themission comprising 13 members was led by Mr.Ousmane Seck, Senior Rural DevelopmentSpecialist and NATP- Task Team Leader of theWorld Bank, Bangladesh office. As a part of theiractivities, the mission had detailed discussions withthe Secretaries of Ministry of Agriculture, Ministryof Livestock and Fisheries, Dr. Wais Kabir,Executive Chairman, BARC and the head of theother NATP components and also with Dr. Md.Abdur Razzaque, Project Director of PCU

To meet the mission requirements, the PIU-BARCprepared well ahead of time an extensive statusreport covering all activities till date on SPGR(Sponsored Public Goods Research) and ERIE(Enhancement of Research Institutional Efficiency)for the upcoming MTR mission eof the WorldBank/IFAD. On the occasion, the ProjectCoordination Unit organized a 2-day workshopduring 7-8 March 2012 at BARC whereafter thegeneral presentation of the NATP activities by Dr.Md. Abdur Razzaque PCU Project Director and Dr.Md. Abul Kashem, Director PIU-BARC madedetailed presentations on progress of activities onSPGR and ERIE . After presentation, lively andlengthy discussions held and Dr. Kashem and M.Anwar Iqbal, M&E Expert, PIU-BARC replied andclarified the questions raised by the team members.To make the best use of time and to cover much ofthe activities, the mission splited into severalgroups; one of which visited BAR! and BRRl on13 March. Prior to the mission's visit, necessarypreparations were taken through a meeting withthe 26 PIs of the SPGR sub-projects of BAR! and14 PIs of the SPGR sub-projects of BRRI inpresence of the Director, Research of the institute.M. Anwar Iqbal, M&E Expert, PIU-BARCprovided necessary guidance to the PIs onpresentation material development and also on thevisit of the lab. and field activities. Dr. RafiqulIslam Mondal, Director General and Dr. SirazulIslam, Director, Research BARI were presentduring MTR mission members visit on 13 Marchand provided required clarification and opinion asand when needed. The mission also visited BRRland was received by the Director, Res. Dr. M.

A view of the workshop on progress and achievement ofNATPfor Mid TermReview of the WorldBank

Shamser Ali. The mission members after attendingthe presentation session arranged in the BRRIconference hall and also visited went around thelab and field activities on SPGR. In both the cases,the mission members showed keen interest andwere impressed by the progress of work done sofar. The members stressed on the up-scaling of theactivities and their transfer to the end users.

Training on Post harvest Management ofFruits and VegetablesA two-day training programme on PostharvestManagement of Fruits and Vegetables wasorganized by Crops Division, BangladeshAgricultural Research Council during 25-26January 2012. The objective of the trainingprogramme was to improve knowledge and skillsof scientists/officials on postharvest losses of fruitsand vegetables and their management. A total of 35participants from NARS institutes, universityteachers, officials from DAE, BADC, HortexFoundation and private companies attended theprogramme. In the inaugural session Dr. AbulKalam Azad, Chief Scientific Officer, Crops,BARC welcomed all participants and briefed theobjectives of the training to the participants. Dr.Md. Khalequzzaman A. Chowdhury, MemberDirector, Crops, who chaired the inaugural session,highlighted the importance of minimizingpostharvest losses of fruits and vegetables towardsachieving food security in the country. He said thatat present the average annual postharvest losses goup to 20% for fruits and 25-30% for vegetables,and thus we must minimize such huge lossesstarting from crop production to its consumption.

Dr. Md. Khalequzzaman Chowdhury, Member DirectorCrops, BARC addressing in the inaugural session of thetraining

Dr. Wais Kabir, Executive Chairman, BARC givingcertificate to a participant of the training

He underlined the need for the improvement of thepresent packaging systems with a view to reducingthe postharvest losses substantially. In order tominimize the postharvest losses of fruits andvegetables, close cooperation among theresearchers, extension and private sector personnelare needed. A total of 11 theoretical classes wereconducted in the two days training. The lecturescovered farmers' innovative technologies,assessment of postharvest losses, harvesting,transport, packaging, storage, processing,preservation, value addition, marketing ofprocessed fruits and vegetables, qualityrequirements of fresh fruits and vegetables forexport, risks and benefits of artificial ripening offruits at pre and postharvest stages, pesticideresidues and food safety in fruits and vegetables.Some policy related issues were also discussed inthe programme. Renowned scientists and universityteachers of the relevant fields joined as resourcespeakers.

In the concluding session, Dr. Wais Kabir,Executive Chairman, BARC, urged theparticipating scientists/officials to give properattention to the reduction of postharvest losses offruits and vegetables. He suggested that strongerlinkages among the scientists of NARS institutes,public and private sectors need to be established.Dr. Kabir hoped that the capacity of stakeholderswould be strengthened through effective trainingbut such training must be fruitful for the end users.Participants opined that they were mostly benefitedfrom the training programme by gathering newknowledge and ideas on improved postharvest

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management techniques of fruits and vegetables inBangladesh. Some participants suggested that inthe future training, more lectures on foodprocessing should be included. Certificates weregiven among the participants by the ExecutiveChairman.

Workshop on Constraints andOpportunities of Agroforestry in NewlyAccreted Char Land of BangladeshA day long workshop on Constraints andOpportunities of Agroforestry in Newly AccretedChar Land of Bangladesh was held during 14March 2012 at BARC Conference Room. Theobjectives of the workshop were to identify theproblems, prospects, research activities anddevelopment of agroforestry practices in newlyaccreted char land in Bangladesh and developfuture research strategies for Agroforestrypractices. Dr. Wais Kabir, Executive Chairman,BARC was present as chief guest. Dr. A.A. Hassan,Member Director, Natural Resource ManagementBARC chaired the inaugural session. Dr. WaisKabir, Executive Chairman, BARC, in his speechunderscored the need of agroforestry in Char Landarea for better livelihood and agriculturalproduction. Dr. Mohammad Shahjahan, CSO,

A view of the inaugural session of the workshop

Forestry delivered a brief welcome address in theinaugural session. He said Agroforestry is a newconcept for effective land use system and it iswidely used by farmers. This technology willcontribute to produce more fruits and vegetablesfor food security and thus supplement nutrition.There were 70 participants in the workshop and tenscientific papers were presented by the scientists ofdifferent institutions. From the presentation, it was

recommended that a baseline survey ofagroforestry practices should be done and made anICT based information repository. Promotion ofagroforestry incorporating agriculture, forestry,livestock, fisheries and apiculture to enhanceAlternate Income Generating (AIG) activitiesamong the farmers in the coastal areas on the basisof local resources.

Seminar on Assessment of ResearchPriorities for Crop Sector in BangladeshDr. Paresh Chandra Golder, CSO, P&E Division,BARC has recently completed his Post-DoctoralResearch on Assessment of Research Priorities forCrop Sector in Bangladesh at the NationalAcademy of Agricultural Research Management(NAARM) , a constituent institution of IndianCouncil of Agricultural Research located atHyderabad, India. He has presented his post-doctoral research report in a seminar at BARC on19 February 2012. Dr. Wais Kabir, ExecutiveChairman, BARC presided over the seminar.Dr. Golder in his presentation highlighted theimportance of priority setting in agriculturalresearch. He stated that priority setting is animportant tool in the management of limited

Dr. Paresh Chandra Golder, CSO (P&E), BARC waspresenting his post-doctoral research work

resources. It aims to improve strategic planning andaccomplish efficient allocation of scarce researchresources to improve research efficiency within theframework of national policy goals. The studyemphasizes the need for (a) the substantial increaseof expenditure in agricultural research (b) frontierresearch like biotechnology and nanotechnology toincrease vertical growth in rice (c) proportionalallocation of research budget for pulses, oilseeds,

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cash crops, fruits and vegetables, (d) reduction ofimproper trade balance in export-import, and (e)regional importance for research resourceallocation. The chairperson of the seminar opinedthat the outputs of this study will go a long way inproviding broad guidelines in enhancing efficiencyof research resources to meet the dauntingchallenges in Bangladesh Agriculture.

Executive Council MeetingThe 96th Executive Council meeting was held atSAC Conference Room on 20 February 2012 withDr. Wais Kabir, Executive Chairman of BARC inthe chair. The meeting reviewed implementationand progress of the decisions taken in the 95thmeeting. It discussed the research proposals andbudgets for the fiscal year 2010-2011 placed bySRDI and BINA and approved the budgets. Themeeting also approved the revised honorium/sittingallowance for the honourable Governing BodyMember, Executive Council Member, EditorialBoard Member of Bangladesh Journal of Agricultureand the members or other relevant fields.

A view of BARC Executive Council meeting

Dissemination of Nutrition InformationAmong School TeachersBangladesh Agricultural Research Council andBangladesh applied Nutrition and Human resourcedevelopment Board (BANHRDB) jointly organizeda three day training on Dissemination of NutritionInformation Among School Teachers during 7-8April 2012 in the training room of DAE, Sylhet.A total of 30 school teachers from the differentparts of the greater Sylhet district participated inthe programme. The course was organized to

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Guests were distributing certificates among theperticipants

disseminate the message on food based nutritionwith the view that the acquired knowledge wouldbe transferred to the students which might betransmitted to the parents and the neighbors. Thecourse included multidisciplinary sectors in thefollowing subjects viz; agriculture products,fishery, food hygiene, sanitation, safe food andfood security improvement of nutrition level,different chemicals use in food, consumerawareness etc. In the training programme, Mr. A.B. M. Abdus Zaher, Additional Director, DAE,Sylhet, was present as the chief guest. Theinaugural session was presided over by Md. SaifulIslam, Deputy Director, DAE, Sylhet. Dr. Md.Monirul Islam, Director, Nutrition and Mr. Md.Aminuzzaman, Director, Manpower & Trainingattended the certificate giving ceremony. Dr. Monirin his concluding remarks said the participantswould utilize the opportunity to build up awarenessof nutrition and disseminate nutritional informationamong the students. It would help the peoplemitigate the nutritional problems, he hoped. On theother hand, Mr. Md. Aminuzzaman in his addressexplained in brief the role of teachers indissemination of information with the hope that theteachers would contribute to build up awareness ofhealthy food and nutritiorial requirements amongthe school children. Dr Mohammad Nur HossainMia, Dean,Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhetattended the closing session and distributedcertificates among the participants. In hisdeliberation he appreciated for implementing suchtype of training programme. He also advised toorganize more training programmes at district andupazilla levels. Finally, the training programmeended with vote of thanks from the chair.

Meeting with National AgroforestryWorking Group of BangladeshA meeting of the National Agro forestry WorkingGroup of Bangladesh (NAWGB) was held on 15March 2012 at BARC.The meeting was chaired byDr. A. A. Hassan, Member Director, NaturalResource Management, BARC, Dhaka as convenerof NAWG. Twenty-one participants from 19organizations attended the meeting. Dr.Mohammad Shajahan, CSO (Forestry), BARCpresented the minutes of the last NAWG meetingheld no 31 January 2011. There was a livelydiscussion on the minutes, which were approvedafter minor modifications. After approval of theminutes, the Member Secretary, NAWG, presentedthe working paper of the meeting. All the membersactively participated in the discussion and somedecisions were taken. i.e; Arrange a workshop onBamboo production and utilization; Arrange aTraining workshop on forestry technologies forcapacity building of professionals; Arrange aresearch programme planning and research reviewworkshop of Agroforestry; Arrange a workshop onmedicinal plants of Bangladesh (collection,cultivation, preservation and utilization); Arrange aTraining for Trainers on forestry and agroforestrytechnologies; Coordinated Research programme ofAgroforestry through SPGR of NATP Phase-I, andDevelope and incorporate a new program onAgroforestry research in the core programme of theorganizations.

Training Course on Technical ReportWriting and Editing

Agricultural Information Centre, BARC organizeda 5-day training course on Technical ReportWriting and Editing during 15-19 January 2011 atBARe. The training programme was inauguratedby Mrs. Dil Afroz, Director, AgriculturalInformation Centre, BARC. The main objective oftraining programme was to make the editors,scientists and other officers involved in publicationactivities aware of the modern and propertechniques of technical report writing and editingso that scientific publications and reports would bemore rmeanigful. Twenty five officials from NARSinstitutes attended the training programme. Paperswere presented in the areas of writing technical /scientific paper, contents and conventions,

methodology of scientific article, referencecitation, unicode and web publishing, IPRcopyright, image processing using illustration inprinting and photography etc.

Dr. Wais Kabir; Executive Chairman, BARC addressingin the concluding session of the training workshop

In the closing ceremony Dr. Wais Kabir, ExecutiveChairman, BARC was present as chief guest andgave certificates among the participants .During hisspeech the Executive Chairman highlighted theimportance of the training on technical reportwriting and editing. He also appreciated theprogramme and suggested to continue this coursefor enriching the scientific publications. Amongothers Dr. S.M. Khalilur Rahman, MemberDirector, AERS BARC spoke on the occasion.

Training on Soil Fertility and FertilizerManagement for Crops and CroppingPatternsA training program on Soil Fertility and FertilizerManagement for Crops and Cropping Patterns washeld for two batches respectively on February 7-8,and 14-15, 2012. The training program wasorganized by Soil unit of NRM Division with thefinancial support of SPGR project entitledCoordinated Project on Soil Fertility and FertilizerManagement for Crops and Cropping Patterns(SFFMP). A total of 60 participants for two batchesfrom BARI, BRRI, BINA, BSRI, BJRI and SRDIpersonnel working in the project attended thetraining programme. This training programme wasa part of the aforesaid project activities. In this two-day training programme, 15 theoretical classeswere conducted covering on Soil Fertility andFertilizer Management, Essential Plant Nutrients

and their Role in the Crop Production, Availabilityof Plant Nutrient in Soils, their Critical Limits andNutrient Balance, Balanced Use of Fertilizers andtheir Uptake by Crop Plants, Integrated PlantNutrition System (IPNS) and DeficiencySymptoms of Plant Nutrients in Crop Plants.Eminent professors from universities, expertscientists from BARC, BAR! , BRRI and SRDI inrelevant fields were the resource speakers. Thetraining programme ended with a certificate givingceremony where Dr. Wais Kabir, ExecutiveChairman, BARC was present as chief guest. Heemphasized the need of such important trainingprogram for sustaining agricultural productionalong with the maintenance of good soil health.

Chief Guest, Dr. Wais Kabir, Executive Chairman,BARC addressing in the certificates giving ceremony

Econometric Analysis through DifferentComputer SoftwareA five-day training programme on EconometricAnalysis through Different Computer Software wasorganized by Agricultural Economics and RuralSociology Division, BARC during 18-22 March2012. The inaugural ceremony of the trainingprogramme was held on 18 April 2012. Dr. S.MKhalilur Rahman, Member Director, AERS and Mr.Abeed Hussain Chowdhury, Director, Computerwere present as chief guest and special guestrespectively. Dr. Fauzia Yasmin, PSG, AERS andcourse director of this training programme in herwelcome address highlighted the objectives whichincludes finding out appropriate method foranalysis, determining the accurate results andfinding related with Bangladesh agriculturalsituation. A total of 18 participants from differentresearch institutes attended the trainingprogramme. In this five-day training programme,

29 lectures were delivered. The lectures covereddifferent aspect of economic issues that includedstatistical applications through different computersoftware such as E-view, STAT, Frontier 4.1,DEAP & GIS. Professors of relevant field fromBangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh,Shere Bangla Agricultural University, AshaUniversity and United International University,Dhaka were resource speakers. In the closingfunction Dr. Wais Kabir, Executive Chairman,BARC was present as chief guest. Dr. Kabiremphasized the need for econometric analysis forpolicy research for ensuring food security of thecountry. Dr. SM Khalilur Rahman, MemberDirector and Dr. Fauzia Yasmin, PSG, BARC beingpresent as special guest and as course coordinatorrespectively, briefed the activities of the trainingprogramme. Participants opined that they werebenefited from the training programme byacquiring knowledge about econometrics throughdifferent computer software for policy researchregarding Bangladesh agricultural situation.

A view of the certificates giving ceremony

Training Course on Graphic Design UsingSuitable SoftwareAgricultural Information Centre, BARC organizeda 10-day training programme on Graphic DesignUsing Suitable Software during 26 February-8March May 2012 at BARC. The trainingprogramme was inaugurated by Mrs. Dil Afroz,Director, Agricultural Information Centre, BARe.The main objective of training programme was tomake the AIC personnel and other concernedBARC officers capable of working with ofIllustration and QuarkXpress for building the inhouse publication capacity. Papers were presented

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in the areas like image processing using,illustration in printing, photography, Photoshop etc.The training also included some practical sessions.In the closing ceremony Dr. Wais Kabir, ExecutiveChairman, BARC was present as chief guest andgave certificates among the participants. Heappreciated the programme and highlighted theimportance for enriching the outlook of thescientific publications. The programme was alsoaddressed among others by Dr. S.M KhalilurRahman, Member Director AERS, Dr. M.AKashem, Director, PIU-NATP, BARC and Md.Aminuzzaman, Director, Training&Manpower.

Dr. S.M Khalilur Rahman adressing the concludingsession of the training

Visit AbroadDr. Wais Kabir, Executive Chairman of BARCvisited Thailand during 16-17 February 2012 toattend the workshop on "Agricultural R&D in theAsia Pacific Region: The Need to MonitorInvestments, Capacities and Institutional Changes"in Bangkok. Dr. Wais Kabir attended the GlobalConference on Role of Women in Agriculture heldin New Delhi of India during 13-15 March 2012.Dr. Wais Kabir also attended another programEighth Session of the Governing Council of theCentre for the Alleviation of Poverty throughSustainable Agriculture (CAPSA)" held inYuzakarta in Indonesia during 21-22 March 2012.

Mr. Md. Abeed Hossain Chowdhury, Director(Computer & GIS), BARC attended "Ag MIPSouth Asia Regional Workshop" held in Indiaduring 20-24 February, 2012

Dr. Monirul Islam, Principal Scientific Officer(Nutrition), BARC took part in the Forty-fourthSession of the CODEX Committee on Food

Additives held during 12-16 March 2012 ill

Hangzhou, China

Dr. S M Khalilur Rahman, Member DirectorAERS, BARC attended the Inception Meeting on"Network for Knowledge Transfer on SustainableAgricultural Technologies and Improved MarketLinkages in South and Southeast Asia (SATNE)held during 13-14 March 2012 in Bogor, Indonesia

Dr. Abul Kalam Azad, Director SAC and CSOCrops, BARC attended the Regional ConsultationWorkshop on Brood-stock Management andDissemination of Improved Fish Breed in theSAARC Countries held during 13-16 March 2012in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Susmita Das, Senior Documentation Officer, AIC,BARC attended the 57th All India LibraryConference on the theme of Knowledge Society:Innovations in Librarianship held at Magalore, inIndia from 23rd to 25th February 2012. The learnedprofessionals and delegates from different countryand different states of India attended. theconference. About 200 papers were selected forpresenting as well as publishing in the proceedingsof the conference. Among them Mrs. Das presentedone paper on "The Present Status of BangladeshNARS and a Proposed Model for the Digitalupgradation. "

Congratulations

On behalf of all the scientists, officers and employees ofthe National Agricultural Research System (NARS) weproudly extend our heart- felt congratulations to ScientistEmeritus and former Executive Chairman of Bangladesh

Agricultural Research CouncilDr. Kazi M. Badruddoza

on receipt of the Independence Award 2012 inrecognition to his glorious and outstanding contributions

in research and training.

Executive ChairmanBangladesh Agricultural Research Council

Readers and ContributorsThe scientists, technologists and concerned officials involved in NARS institutes are requested tosend articles, sucecss stories, research highlights and reports on important events with qualityphotographs for BARC Newsletter. Cooperation in this regard as well as your valuable commentsand suggestions for our future endeavour would be highly appreciated.

Compiled & Edited by: Dil Afroz, Md. Rafique Mostafa Kamal, Md. MustafizurRahman & Susmita DasPublished by: Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council, Airport Road, Farmgate,Dhaka-1215, Bangladesh.

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