NALBARI, March 3 � A low cost seed bank of native paddy varieties was inaugurated under the initiative of Lotus Progressive Centre, a leading NGO of Nalbari district, working for the promotion of agriculture sector in the district.The seed bank was inaugurated by Anurupa Baruah, Circle Officer of Barbhag Revenue Circle at a function at the office of Lotus in Morowa village on March 1.
Speaking at the function, Baruah highly appreciated the efforts of the NGO to bring back the State�s popular paddy varieties which are disappearing from the fields. At the inaugural function, Dr Simanta Kalita, north-east coordinator of the Centre for Environment Education was also inaugurated. The project was sponsored by UNDP, SGP, GEF, CEE India and implemented by the Lotus Progressive Center.
It is learnt that the seed bank has a capacity to preserve 1500 maunds of paddy and presently a hundred maunds paddy of nine native varieties have been preserved. The preserved varieties are Kunkuni Joha,Tulsi joha, Boka dhan, Bar dhan, Barnni, Samraj, Tengre, Phulpakhri and Mainagiri. Sources said that these seeds will cover a plot of 500 bighas in the next sali season.Those truthfully level seeds(TLS) can be collected by interested farmers from the Lotus Seed Bank. They also informed that the seeds are locally produced without using fertilisers and pesticides. On the occasion, an awareness meeting and interaction with the farmers was also held.
