Some 5 lakh nutri-gardens to be set up countrywide: Minister
Tk438 crore will be spent to set up vegetable gardens in every Upazila of the country
Five lakh vegetable gardens are being set up across the country under a nationwide family nutrition garden project, said Minister of Agriculture, Dr Md Abdur Razzaque.
The three-year project will spend Tk438 crore to set up vegetable gardens in every Upazila of the country, the minister said on Tuesday, at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (Barc) auditorium, where he was attending a workshop on the establishment of nutrition gardens on fallow land and backyards.
By cultivating fallow lands, this project would help meet the demand for vegetables and nutrition of the country's people, he added.
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"We have to account for every taka we spend on this project and we will have to determine if the project is achieving its objectives. We will also have to monitor if farmers under the project are indeed producing vegetables and if others are being encouraged by that. We will also have to measure the nutritional status of the people consuming the vegetables," said Razzaque.
The minister said that last year before this project started, some 1.41 lakh home gardens were established in 4431 unions spending Tk37.36 crore.
There are some 2.53 crore houses in Bangladesh and most of the area surrounding these homes is fallow land and only some families plant vegetables, that too in an unplanned way.
Under this project, planned gardens of different types of fruits, vegetables, and spices will be established in the uncultivated lands around houses.
