Activities

In Bangladesh, cotton is generally grown as a rain fed crop. Two types of cotton are grown in Bangladesh namely i) American Upland Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) and ii) Hill Cotton (Gossypium arboreum).Upland cotton having staple length of 1.125 inch -1.2 inch is cultivated in the plain areas of the country covering 29 districts. The course and short staple length type Hill cotton, on the other hand, is grown in Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachari hill districts.
The main activities of CDB are as follows:

1. Extension;

2. Research;

3. Seed production and distribution;

4. Marketing and Ginning and

5. Credit distribution.

Main Focus of Development Activities of CDB
The main objective of Cotton Development Board is to promote cotton production in Bangladesh. CDB attaches prime importance to the following development activities-

1. To motivate the farmers for growing cotton;

2. To utilize marginal and less fertile lands for growing cotton;

3. To produce and supply of quality cotton seed to the farmers;

4. To evolve high yielding, pest tolerant and short duration varieties of cotton.

5. To develop appropriate technologies of cotton production;

6. To introduce transgenic cotton in Bangladesh;

7. To develop knowledge and skill of cotton farmers through training and demonstrations;

8. To increase the efficiency of CDB staff through training;

9. To reduce the yield gap by increasing per hectare yield of cotton through Good Agricultural Practices (GAP);

10. To encourage the cotton farmers for growing one or two additional crops through practicing inter cropping and relay cropping in the cotton field;

11. To ensure marketing and reasonable price of cotton to the farmers;

12. To help the cotton farmers to get credit and

13. To organize cotton farmers to facilitate seed cotton marketing and distribution of credit and other inputs among the cotton farmers.

Extension

CDB has extension activities in 32 districts and 112 upazilas of the country. Extension activities are implemented through four Regional Offices (located at Jessore, Rangpur, Dhaka and Chittagong) and 9 Zonal Offices (located at Jessore, Kushtia, Rajshahi, Bogra, Rangpur, Thakurgaon, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Rangamati and Bandarban). Each zone is divided into units/sub-units depending on the intensity of cotton cultivation. Total number of unit/sub-unit offices is 179. Each unit is headed by a Cotton Unit Officer and a Sub-unit is headed by a Store-cum-Field man or Assistant Cotton Unit Officer. Unit / Sub-unit offices are the basic grass root level extension offices of CDB. Main extension activities at the field level are to motivate farmers to grow cotton, transfer of improved production technology and advisory services to the cotton farmers through regular field visit by the grass-root level extension workers i.e. Cotton Unit officers, Store-cum-Field man and Assistant Cotton Unit Officers. Extension workers interact with the cotton farmers individually and as well as in groups. Demonstration plots are established in the units/sub-units.

Training

CDB organizes training programs for contract farmers at the research centres and seed multiplication farms. Usually training programs for contact farmers are organized twice during crop season, one is at the pre-sowing period (May-June) and another at the late growing period (October-November). These are usually 4-5 day long residential training courses. CDB provides one-day training for the general farmers at unit and zonal level. CDB also organizes field days and farmers rallies as motivational programs at pre-sowing and pre-harvesting period. CDB conducted training programs for development of skill of the staff and officers and disseminate new technologies of cotton production.

Research
Cotton Development Board has been conducting research on different aspects of cotton production since 1991. It has two research centres and three Research, Training and Seed Multiplication Farms. The research centres /farms are-

1. Cotton Research Centre, Mahiganj, Rangpur;

2. Cotton Research, Training and Seed Multiplication Farm, Sripur, Gazipur;

3. Cotton Research, Training and Seed Multiplication Farm, Jagadishpur, Jessore;

4. Cotton Research, Training and Seed Multiplication Farm, Sadarpur, Dinajpur;

5. Hill Cotton Research centre, Balaghata, Bandarban;

• Hill Cotton Research Sub- centre, Raicha, Bandarban.

• Hill Cotton Research Sub- centre, Kawkhali, Rangamati,

• Hill Cotton Research Sub- centre, Matiranga, Khagrachhari.

CDB conducts research in five disciplines Viz.

• Plant Breeding,

• Agronomy,

• Soil Science,

• Entomology and

• Plant Pathology.

In addition to on-station research, on-farm trials are conducted on farmers fields in different zones.

Seed Production and Distribution
Seed production and distribution is one of the major activities of Cotton Development Board. CDB is the only producer of Breeder and Foundation seeds of cotton in Bangladesh. However, truthfully labeled cotton seed are produced under the supervision of CDB field officers through contact farmers. CDB ensures supply of 250 tons of quality cotton seed annually to the farmers which fulfill about 50% of the total requirement of cotton seed of the country. CDB produces breeder seed and foundation seed in two research centres and three seed multiplication farms. Truthfully labeled seed or certified standard seed are produced through contract farmers in selected and isolated seed production blocks. The seed cotton produced by the contact farmers is procured at a relatively higher price. The procured seed cotton is ginned at the ginning centers of CDB located at different seed multiplication farms and zones. After ginning, cotton seed is processed and stored in the ginning centers for distribution among the farmers in the next crop season. Seeds are distributed to the farmers through the unit and sub-unit offices.

Marketing and Ginning
The objective of marketing and ginning of cotton is to support the farmers for getting reasonable price and to stable the cotton market in the country. Cotton is a cash crop and its marketing directly linked with international trade. Therefore, its market is relatively rather complex. Cotton market in the country is leaded by the private sectors. CDB purchases some seed cotton from the contact growers for seed purpose. CDB also purchases some seed cotton from general farmers in order to help farmers in marketing seed cotton and ensure reasonable price. Prices of seed cotton and lint are fixed by a committee constituted by the Government. CDB has 05 ginning centers located at different cotton growing zones. There are more than 40 active private ginneries for cotton marketing in the country. They play a vital important role in marketing and ginning of seed cotton. Private ginneries purchase seed cotton from the farmers directly or through local Traders / Farias. After ginning of seed cotton they sell lint (cotton fibre) to the Spinning mills.

Cotton Price Fixation Committee consists of the following members-

Credit Distribution
Cost of cotton production is relatively higher because it needs high doses of fertilizers and pesticides. Most of the cotton farmers are marginal and poor and are not able to purchase and apply required amount of different agriculture inputs in time. So, credit support is essential for them. CDB has signed separate MOU with Bangladesh Krishi Bank (BKB) and Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank (RAKUB) for providing credits to the cotton farmers. In addition, CDB distributes supervised credit among the cotton farmers from its own revolving fund.

Target of Cotton Production, Seed Production & Distribution and Demonstration for 2010-11