Set up nat'l gene bank to preserve seeds

They also called for enforcing the Farmers' Right Protection Act to protect the bio-diversity of the country.

The seminar on 'Intellectual Property Right Issue in Agriculture' was organised by Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) Debating Society at the university auditorium on the occasion of first Sher-e-Bangla Cup Debate Competition-2004.

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"Developing countries including Bangladesh are technologically poor but rich in gene while the developed countries are technologically rich but poor in gene," said Prof Shahidur Rashid Bhuiyan, chairman of genetics and plant breeding department of the SAU while presenting the keynote paper at the seminar.

He said some developed countries are conspiring to pirate the gene of different plants and animals from the developing countries through various agreements.

Not a single significant crop grown in USA had originated there but now it had a lot of gene, he pointed out.

Prof Shahidur recommended seed exchange facilities for the farmers by providing necessary training.

He regretted that the Bio-diversity and Community Knowledge Protection Act, drafted by the National Committee on Plant Genetic Resources, was submitted to the government in 1998, but no decision has been taken yet.

Speaking as chief guest at the seminar, State Minister for Agricultural Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said: "We had over16, 500 types of rice seed in the past but now we have only 3,500 types."

He called for setting up of a national committee to create public awareness about the importance of preserving the bio-diversity of the country.

SAU Vice- chancellor Prof AM Faruq presided over the seminar while former Bangladesh Rice Research Centre director M Nasir Uddin and SAU Prof Rafiqul Islam took part in it.

A four-day long debate competition was started on October 6 that joined 25 teams from the 20 universities and it will end tomorrow.