A world-class tissue culture laboratory is being built at the Balaghata Horticulture Centre in Bandarban Sadar, offering new hope for technology-driven agriculture in the country's hill districts.
Surrounded by the scenic beauty of the Sangu River and green hills, the circular, aesthetically designed facility has already attracted attention from locals. More than just an architectural landmark, officials say it represents a major step toward modernizing agriculture in the region.
The laboratory is being established under the Department of Agricultural Extension's "Tissue Culture Laboratory cum Horticulture Centre Establishment and Development Project." According to officials, the facility will serve as a knowledge-based technology platform aimed at improving hill agriculture through research, innovation, and quality seedling production.
A unique feature of the building is its design, inspired by the biological "nucleus" or cell center. Built with ceramic bricks and iron chips, the eco-friendly structure is designed to allow natural light and maintain a suitable environment for research by reducing dampness and ensuring healthy working conditions, according to project officials.
The lab will include modern media preparation, inoculation and transfer rooms, culture and growth rooms, acclimatization and hardening zones, glasshouse areas, and specialized research and training facilities-making it one of the country's most advanced laboratories of its kind.
Agricultural experts say tissue culture technology allows rapid production of disease-free, genetically uniform, and high-quality seedlings in large quantities. This can increase productivity, reduce crop disease, and lower production costs for farmers.
Local farmer Ningsathui Marma from Rajbila said hill farmers often suffer losses after purchasing poor-quality seedlings from outside. He expressed hope that tissue culture seedlings produced locally would greatly benefit farmers in the region. He added that improved planting materials for hill bananas, pineapples, strawberries, dragon fruit, orchids, and other high-value crops could attract more young people to agriculture.
Women farmers are also optimistic. Nagchhobi Tanchangya, a farmer from Bandarban Sadar Union, said access to quality seedlings has long been a challenge for women involved in agriculture. She believes the new lab could help women become agricultural entrepreneurs through technology-based farming.
Officials said the centre will not only produce tissue culture seedlings but also conduct research on hill-suitable crops, conserve new varieties, improve mother plants, and develop modern farming technologies. Scientists see strong potential for research on orchids, exotic flowers, high-value fruits, hill spices, and climate-resilient agricultural practices.
Project Director Talha Zubair Masrur said the initiative should not be seen as an ordinary building. "We are creating a knowledge-based platform for the future of agriculture. Our goal is to ensure disease-free quality seedlings, create new entrepreneurs, and make research more field-oriented," he said.
Deputy Director of Balaghata Horticulture Centre Liton Debnath said construction work is about 80 percent complete. He noted that because the facility is highly specialized, every material is being carefully tested and senior officials from the Agriculture Ministry and the Department of Agricultural Extension are regularly monitoring progress.
Agricultural scientists have welcomed the project. Retired Bangladesh Agricultural University professor Dr. M.A. Rahim said tissue culture technology can ensure reliable, disease-free, quality seedlings and the Bandarban lab could play a significant role in mass production in the future.
Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University professor Dr. Abu Noman Faruk Ahmed said Bangladesh's agriculture is shifting toward quality-based production, and improved seedlings and technology support could help hill farmers contribute more to the national economy through high-value and export-oriented crops.
Experts believe the Bandarban tissue culture lab will open a new chapter for technology-driven farming, research, entrepreneurship, and export-oriented agriculture in the hill districts.
