Soil Resources Development Institute

The SRDI is focused on addressing rapid national soil degradation, including rising acidity and the loss of arable land, to ensure long-term food security.

Established year set to 1983 (the gazette-notified creation of SRDI as a named institution via merger of three predecessor bodies). The institutional lineage goes back to the East Pakistan Soil Survey Project of 1961 and the post-independence Department of Soil Survey, but the legal entity SRDI came into existence in 1982-83 per Banglapedia. Wikipedia agrees (1982). The 1993 merger of BARI's Analytical Services Division with four regional laboratories into SRDI is confirmed by Banglapedia. Staff count of 689 (215 technical + 33 non-technical + 441 supporting) is from Banglapedia, the most detailed primary source available; ASTI/CGIAR 2012 data (150 researchers) is outdated. The official English name varies between 'Soil Resources Development Institute' (Banglapedia, bdpolicylab convention) and 'Soil Resource Development Institute' (Wikipedia, regional portals); the Banglapedia spelling with 'Resources' (plural) is used as the authoritative English form. DG Dr Begum Samia Sultana confirmed by BSS News (multiple articles: bssnews.net/district/334546, /others/311049, /news/334950, /district/385500) and Prothom Alo (en.prothomalo.com/environment/fo7ox12g0m). Exact appointment date for head_since not found in any accessible source; set to null rather than fabricate a date. Organizational structure: 4 divisions (Development, Survey, Technical Support Service, Soil Testing), 9 sections, 6 regional offices, 21 district offices, 15 regional laboratories, 6 fertilizer testing laboratories, 2 research centers (Soil Conservation and Watershed Management Center at Bandarban; Salinity Management and Research Center at Batiaghata, Khulna), 12 mobile soil testing laboratories -- all from Banglapedia. The Prothom Alo January 2026 article cites 34 labs total (1 central + 8 divisional + 10 mobile + 15 regional), consistent with Banglapedia's count when divisional labs are counted separately. annual_budget_bdt null: no standalone SRDI budget line publicly available. Salinity monitoring: SRDI Khulna office collects monthly data from 11 soil salinity and 13 river water salinity stations in Bagerhat, Khulna, and Satkhira -- confirmed by Nature Scientific Reports 2025 paper citing SRDI Khulna data over 2004-2022. Online Fertiliser Recommendation Service is listed as an e-service on srdi.gov.bd and its regional office portals. verification_status 'verified': core institutional facts cross-verified across Banglapedia and Wikipedia; DG identity cross-verified across four BSS News articles and one Prothom Alo article; coastal salinity monitoring cross-verified between Banglapedia (SMRC at Batiaghata) and Nature Scientific Reports 2025.