As policy planners welcomed the growing private sector initiatives in fragile seed industry in the country, farmers expressed their objection about exorbitant prices of imported seeds.

They all were participating at a two-day national seminar on Seed Industry Development' which began in the city yesterday. Seed Industry Promotion Unit (S1PU) of the Crop Diversification Programme (CDP) organised the seminar at the auditorium of the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council (BARC).

Apart from the lively debate on private sector's efforts and seed prices, the participants agreed unanimously that the future of Bangladesh's agriculture lies on quality seeds.

A representative speaking on behalf of more than one hundred farmers attending the seminar expressed concern at the exorbitant price of seeds and sought government intervention into I he matter. "It costs taka 60 to import one

kilogram of hybrid paddy seeds into the country but the seeds are put on sale at Taka 200 per kilogram," Bangabandhu Agriculture Award winning farmer Md Mokbul Hossain told the seminar.

Addressing the seminar as the chief guest. Food and Agriculture Minister Begum Motia Chowdhury assured that "the government has a responsibility to protect farmers from being marginalised by the greed of too much profit making in the private sector."

She. however, encouraged both the private sector and the non-government organisations to come forward in fulfilling the ever-growing need for quality seeds in the country. "BADC can cover only five per cent of cereal crop seeds" requirement while it can hardly meet the 17 per cent needs of jute seeds. There is no reason why for private sector should not come into fill the vacuum."

Earlier, presenting the keynote paper at the ' seminar. Maarten den Hertog. Project

Coordinator of SIPU, laid emphasis on quality assurance and marketing of seeds.

Representing the seed merchants of the country. Managing Director of the Supreme Seed Company. Mohammad Masum spoke of the existing ambiguity in seed import policy and criticised the government for the latter's failure to trace fraudulence in a recent consignment of pulses import.

Agriculture Secretary Dr AMM Shawkat Ali. who was presiding over the inaugural session of the seminar, reacted. sharply and informed the gathering that government had confiscated the said pulses consignment. "No exception has been made, the importer has to release the consignment after paying the import duty."

Among others. Director General of the Department of Agricultural Extension, M Enamul Hoque, NGO representative Humayun Reza and convenor of the seminar Md Enayet Hossain also spoke at the opening session.