Bangladesh Cotton Development Board has adopted a five-year project titled "Extensive Cotton Cultivation" considering importance of the sector and its further development. According to experts, cotton production can be enhanced to around 0.8 to 1.0 million bales from the existing hardly 0.1 million bales annually.

On successful implementation of the project, the cotton production will increase many fold and that will save huge foreign currency.

At a regional workshop titled "Prospect of Cotton Farming in Barind Tract and Extension Strategy" held at the conference hall of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) in Rajshahi metropolis, Agricultural scientists and researchers at the daylong discussion urged the farmers and others concerned to expand cotton farming in the vast barind tract for boosting up its production to meet up the country's demand.

Chairman of BMDA Dr Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Executive Director of CDB Dr Farid Uddin Ahmed addressed the discussion as chief and special guests respectively with Deputy Commissioner of Rajshahi Helal Mahmud Sharif in the chair.

They viewed prospect of boosting cotton production in the drought-prone barind region is bright as its topography and climatic condition suitable for the cash crop.

Dr Farid Uddin said that there is an enormous prospect of boosting cotton production after the best uses of existing natural resources