Zinc-enriched BRRI-62 gains popularity in Rajshahi region

RAJSHAHI, Nov 11(BSS): Growers of the region, particularly the vast Barind tract, have become happy over getting satisfactory yield of BRRI-62, a zinc-enriched paddy variety, for the first time.

The newly released paddy variety has started gaining popularity among both farmers and consumers level in the region including the barind tract comprising 25 Upazilas of Rajshahi, Naogaon and Chapinawabgonj districts.

The newly innovated paddy variety has opened up a door of enormous prospects of mitigating zinc and protein deficiency besides fighting diarrhea and pneumonia-induced childhood deaths and stunting.

Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) released the variety for all over the country last year after a latest breakthrough in research in the field. It's a short-duration high-yielding variety of rice which could be cultivated in Aman season.

The BRRI breeders developed the hi-zinc rice with the support from Harvest Plus, which is a global bio-fortification mission.

Selim Hossain, a farmer of Potahar village under Godagari Upazila of the district said that he had cultivated Brridhan-62 on five bighas of land and the yield was optimistic. He had to spend Taka 5,000 for per bigha of land yielding 18 mounds of paddy. The variety is drought tolerant and rate of chemical fertilizer and pesticides application was comparatively lower.

Dr Khairul Bashar, Country Manager of Harvest Plus Bangladesh, told BSS that the BRRI-62 has been the most-discussed rice variety as it is a zinc-fortified breed and have been developed to meet the necessary requirement of micronutrient for a human body coupled with ensuring food security.