Flood tolerant paddy can make Bangladesh rice into advance

Flood tolerant paddy can make Bangladesh rice into advance



Bangladeshi Renowned rice scientist and country manager of IRRI-Bangladesh Dr MA Bari has said the country can export rice in near future after meeting its own demand through expanded farming of flood tolerant variety paddies. Bangladesh can produce an additional 60-lakh tonnes of paddy annually to ensure its food security by brining all 12 lakh hectares potential low-lying and flood-prone lands under farming of four such variety paddies amid adverse impacts of climate changes, he said. He said this while distributing seeds of flood tolerant variety paddies among the farmers of sadar union, Belgachha, Halokhana, Mogalbasa, Kanthalbari, Panchgachhi, Jatrapur and Ghoghadaho unions at Bhogdanga union office premises in Kurigram on Saturday.



NGO Solidarity organised the seed distribution ceremony with the assistance of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Inter Co-operation with its executive director and valiant freedom fighter Harunur Rashid Lal in the chair.



Officials of Solidarity, local farmers, public representatives, member of Technical Working Group of Cereal Systems Initiatives for South Asia and Staff Reporter of BSS Mamun Islam, BSS Kurigram Correspondent Abdul Khalek Faruk, addressed.



Dr Bari said Bangladesh goes to large-scale countrywide farming of epoch-making flash-flood tolerant variety paddies from this season after official release of two varieties of the seeds to ultimately produce an additional six million tonnes paddy annually.



Distribution of 50 tonnes seeds of Swarna Sub1, BR11 Sub1, IR64 Sub1 and Sambamasuri Sub1 flood-tolerant variety paddies among 25,000 farmers in 21 districts throughout the country has now been nearing completion, he said.



A total of 2,000 hectares land would be brought under farming of these paddies in these districts under six agriculture zones this season and the same will also be cultivated on demonstration plots in Rajshahi and Jessore zones to attract the farmers.



He urged the farmers to preserve their seeds after harvests of the paddies and suggested all partner NGOs and organisations for taking necessary steps to commercially produce, preserve and distribute quality seeds of these paddies in future.



On the other hand, the farmers expressed their happiness following release of the seeds of flood tolerant Swarna Sub 1 as BRRI dhan 51 and BR 11 Sub 1 as BRRI dhan 52 varieties last month by the technical committee of the National Seed Certification Board.



Harunur Rashid Lal said his organisation Solidarity successfully cultivated these submergence variety paddies last year and has taken an extended programme for its farming in all nine upazilas in Kurigram during this Aman season.



“We are now completing distribution of 4,560 kg seeds of these four flood tolerant entries among 2.280 farmers to bring a total of 304 hectares land under the farming of these paddies in Kurigram this season,” he said.



It is possible to produce additional two lakh tonnes rice annually in Kurigram alone through farming of these paddies on 40,000 hectares that go under flash-flood water and remain inundated for 10-16 days every year damaging huge Aman paddies, he added.



He said that the farmers are now preparing to cultivate these paddies, which can sustain 10 to 17 days submergence under flash flood waters paving the way for producing five tonnes paddy per hectare in the vast flash flood prone areas.



Dr Bari said, scientists of BRRI, IRRI, Central Rice



Research Institute and Norendra Dev University of Agriculture Technology of India and University of California (UC, Davis & Riverside) developed and validated the epoch-making technology.



Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) have been providing financial assistances through IRRI to increase seed productions and disseminate the technology under its Stress Tolerant Rice for Poor Farmers in Africa & South Asia (STRASA) programme.



Preparations of seedbeds and transplantation seedlings of all four Sub 1 entries will be completed by July 30 to start harvest with the short duration IR 64 Sub 1 from the end of September and the total harvest will end along with traditional T-Aman, Dr Bari said.