Page 86 - ICE BUSINESS TIMES February 2020

NATORE SEES RISE IN
MUSTARD FARMING

slightly compared to last year. varieties of mustard will play a
However, a large quantity of special role in fulfilling the
mustard has been cultivated in dreams of farmers as well as
the Padma riverbank, he added. meeting the demand of edible
DAE sources said mustard has oil. Local farmers say mustard
been cultivated in 6,542 cultivation needs less time and
hectares of land in the upazila, a labour and the production cost
rise of 323 hectares from last is low; so they are becoming
Mustard farming is on the rise in Natore due to year. more interested in its
favourable weather, less time and low production cost. Upazila agriculture office cultivation. The farmers of the
Most of the mustard have been cultivated in riverbank sources said massive cultivation area usually cultivate mustard
area of the upazila. Farmers of the Sadar upazila are has been done in this upazila at the end of the rainy season.
now interested in it as the cultivation requires less care due to the increase of soil This time also they cultivated
and cost. Mustard farming this year has reduced fertility this year. The BARI-14 the crop at the proper time.

THE COST OF
BSCIC PARK

DOUBLED AND
DEADLINE
PUSHED
The government has revised
upwards the cost for the
much-delayed BSCIC Industrial
Park in Sirajganj for the third time
and pushed back its construction
deadline -- a development that
has now become a regular feature
ADOPT TECHNOLOGY IN for public works.The project began
its journey in December 1999 with
BANKS TO STAY an estimated budget of Tk 197
COMPETITIVE crore with a view to create 1 lakh
jobs, spurring economic activities
Traditional banks not adopting financial technology would and reducing poverty in the
risk losing competitiveness in their business and services. poverty-prone northern districts.
Despite slow progress in adopting financial technology by The completion date was set at
the country’s financial institutions, Tk7.8 lakh crore or June 2004.
20% of the country’s total Tk38.89 lakh crore financial But the plan had altogether been
transactions were executed using the technology. scrapped in April 2004 before its
While there were risk factors in adopting fintech by the revival in August 2010 with a
financial institutions, transaction cost could be reduced revised budget of Tk 379 crore
significantly by using technologies, academics and and a completion date of June 2014. Following several
professionals Business process outsourcing entities could revisions, the cost has risen to Tk 719 crore, up 14.5 per cent
play a vital role in adopting the financial technology by the from the last revision of Tk 628 crore. The new deadline is
financial institutions. June 2021.

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