Bangladeshi scientist honoured

Bangladeshi scientist Dr Mirza Mofazzal Islam has been honoured with a prestigious global award for his contribution to increasing food security by using radiation technology.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) jointly awarded him along with other global scientists at the general conference of the IAEA, according to a news agency.
The foreign ministry Friday said a government representative received the ‘Outstanding Achievement Awards’ honour on his behalf from IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano at the Austrian capital, Vienna.
Dr Islam works with the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA).
The foreign ministry said he had released nine mutant varieties of fibre jute, vegetable jute, mung bean and chickpea with improved yield and quality traits.
Those have increased yield to 45 per cent from 20 per cent compared to other existing crop varieties.
The IAEA, jointly with FAO, honour teams of scientists in five categories for helping to increase food security by using radiation to breed better crop varieties.