Cultivation, consumption of zinc-enriched rice underscored

RANGPUR, Aug 3 (BSS): Enhanced cultivation and consumption of zinc-enriched rice can increase disease resistant capacity of children and ensure normal growth by preventing deficiency of vital micro-nutrients.
Agriculture experts said this at a daylong farmers' training course organised by RDRS Bangladesh, a non-government organisation (NGO), on 'Zinc Rice Varieties and Benefit of Zinc' at Panchagarh district town Sunday.
The NGO has been expanding technology for cultivation, seed production, processing and storing of zinc-enriched BRRI dhan-62 rice in four northern districts as a local implementing partner of The HarvestPlus Challenge Programme.
The International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) have been coordinating the technology dissemination process.
Programme Manager (Filed Coordination) of RDRS Bangladesh for Panchagarh Hasina Parveen presided over the training course participated by 25 male and female farmers of the district.
The training course was arranged for motivating the farmers to popularise cultivation of zinc-enriched BRRI dhan-62 by setting up 25 demonstration plots and 100 mini exhibition plots in Panchagarh during this Aman season.
The resource persons and experts said that zinc, iron and vitamin-A are the three most vital micronutrients, deficiency of which hampers natural growth of children and decreases their disease prevention capacity.
In Bangladesh, over 40 per cent of the under-five children are stunted while an estimated 44 per cent children of the same age group are at the risk of zinc deficiency. They badly require supplementation of these micronutrients for normal growth.
The experts stressed on expanded cultivation of zinc-enriched BRRI dhan-62 variety of rice and its consumption for supplementation of zinc deficiency in daily diet of the poor and vulnerable farmers in the northwestern region of the country.