Alok Acharja

The words science and technology are practically controlling this entire world. It has changed the life of people. The solution to every problem has been found in science and technology. One of the problems of the present world is the food crisis. The reason for this is multifaceted. Unequal distribution is responsible as well as the decrease in the amount of land. But with the decrease of land, production has also increased in parallel. However, a large part of employment is in agriculture. Both men and women are working in agriculture. Agriculture has been touched by technology. One of these technologies is biotechnology. The concept of biotechnology is not new. Rather, biotechnology is playing an important role in production in the world. Agriculture is the lifeblood of Bangladesh. Since independence, unprecedented progress has been made in agriculture in the last five decades. Soil is gradually losing its natural productive capacity. The use of excessive fertilizers is further exacerbating this situation. The use of organic fertilizers is being encouraged here. Because organic fertilizers are made from natural ingredients and protect the quality of the soil. On the other hand, they also play a role in crop production. Organic fertilizers are products made from rock minerals obtained from mines and natural vegetable and animal materials. They include ingredients like animal feces, powdered dried blood, bone powder, cell powder, finely ground fish, phosphate rock and wood powder. Over time, the problems that have come to the fore in crop production are - producing more crops against less land, the need to develop new varieties of crops, developing varieties of crops that are tolerant to floods and droughts, increasing the size of crops, attractive colors and flavors, etc. There are many other demands.
To achieve sustainable food security, it is necessary to protect agricultural land along with the digitalization of agriculture. Because cultivable land is gradually being lost in the urbanization process. The urbanization process of villages in our country has basically started for a few decades. Although its pace was a little slow in the beginning, there have been huge changes in the last decade. We have lost many rivers, canals and rivers and in return we have gained some benefits of civic life. So the scenario is changing very quickly. As a result, we have to focus on increasing production. To do this, the use of biotechnology can be an effective solution. Between 1996 and 2005, the cultivation of biotech crops in the world increased 50-fold, and 8.5 million farmers are cultivating biotech crops on 90 million hectares of land in 21 countries from 6 countries. The United States cultivates 50 percent of the world's biotech crops. 14 countries are cultivating biotech crops on 50,000 hectares or more of land each. The countries are - America, China, Argentina, Canada, Brazil, Paraguay, India, South Africa, Uruguay, Australia, Romania, Mexico, Spain and the Philippines. Notable among biotech crops are - wheat, soybeans, corn, cotton, oilseed crops, vegetables, fruits, etc. Today, production has increased due to the gradual evolution of technology. We need to produce more crops on less land and also increase the quality of the crops. The use of biotechnology can solve all these problems. Biotech crops are more sustainable and better for our environment. Biotechnology requires fewer pesticides and allows for more crops to be grown with less land, while agricultural fields use organic pesticides - which improves soil health and water conservation. Agriculture is linked to our health. The issue is closely related. Safe food is the demand of the hour at present. Considering the situation, the government has enacted the Safe Food Act-2013, Section 58 of which states that Excessive use of chemicals, pesticides or herbicides that are harmful or toxic to human health will result in imprisonment for up to 5 years and a fine of Tk 10 lakh. Excessive use of chemical fertilizers is also having a detrimental effect on human health. Organic fertilizers are used instead of chemical fertilizers in organic agriculture. By using excessive chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture for years, we have killed the beneficial microorganisms in the soil. To restore that fertility, there is no alternative to using natural ingredients. There is a huge shortage of organic ingredients in agricultural land in Bangladesh. A report published in BBC Bangla a couple of years ago revealed that 80 percent of the countrys agricultural organic ingredients have decreased. As a result, excessive use of chemical fertilizers is being done. This report states that while cropland should have 5 percent organic ingredients, most of the agricultural land in the country has dropped below two percent organic ingredients.
British scientist with the help of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute taught some insect sex pheromone production techniques. Since then, the journey of commercially producing beneficial friendly insects and insect sex pheromone traps in Bangladesh has begun. After successful research, the Agriculture Department of the Government of Bangladesh is training farmers in the IPM method of cultivation. In this method, crop field pests are controlled through special management, so that the farmer's dependence on chemical pesticides is reduced. One of the components of pest control management through the 'IPM system' or 'Integrated Pest Management' is the rearing of beneficial friendly insects and the use of insect sex pheromone traps. In early 2005, agricultural scientists from the 'Uzbekistan Scientific Research Institute' transferred the commercial production techniques of 'beneficial friendly insects' to some agricultural scientists in Bangladesh. At the same time, a British scientist, with the help of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, taught some insect sex pheromone production techniques.
According to the information of the Bangladesh Soil Resources Development Research Institute, crops are cultivated on 56 percent of the total area of Bangladesh. A study by the Soil Resources Development Institute has shown that the organic matter in the country's agricultural land has decreased by about 40 percent in the last decade. However, to maintain crop production, it is desirable to have at least 3.5 percent organic matter in the soil. But the organic matter in more than 700,000 hectares of land in the country has dropped below 1 percent. The organic matter of about 4 million hectares of land is now below 2 percent. As a result, the microorganisms that work to maintain soil fertility are not working at the right level. A study by the European research institute FIBL shows that the growth of organic agricultural products has increased by 300 percent in the last decade. The largest markets for organic products are the United States, Germany and France. Certified organic products are currently being exported to 164 countries. Therefore, as an agricultural country, Bangladesh has a huge potential for the production and export of organic products.

 The writer is a essayist and columnist