Drought-tolerant rice to provide food security for Barind people: Speakers

RAJSHAHI, Oct 19 (BSS): Farmers in the drought-prone Barind tract are now looking forward with more bountiful rice harvest as the wet season ends and water becomes scarce, with a recently-released drought-tolerant rice variety - BRRI dhan57.
Unlike most rain-dependent rice varieties in Bangladesh planted in the Aman monsoon season, BRRI dhan57 is now on ripening stage under drought, which can occur toward the end of the season, because they take a shorter time to mature than other popular local varieties especially Swarna.
After BRRI dhan56, the first drought-tolerant variety in the country, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) released another short-duration drought-tolerant variety BRRI dhan57 that can provide more yield from 0.8 to 1.2 tonnes per hectare than the presently-cultivated varieties despite three weeks of no rain.
Both varieties were tested in the drought-prone Rajshahi region and are now being released in the Barind tract comprising Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Natore and Naogaon districts.
The observations were made at the farmers' field day styled "Production Techniques of BRRIdhan 57 in Wheat/Potato-Mug Cropping Pattern in High Barind Tract" held at Kodomsohar area under Godagari upazila of the district yesterday.
On-Farm Research Division (OFRD) under Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) organised the programme in association with Krishi Gobeshona Foundation (KGF) where aspects and other salient features of BRRI dhan57 were highlighted elaborately.
"Climate change is likely to increase the occurrence of extreme weather events such as drought," said Director General of BARI Dr Rafiqul Islam Mondal while addressing as the chief guest with OFRD Chief Scientific Officer Dr ASM Mahbubur Rahman Khan in the chair.
"Equipping farmers with rice varieties that can tolerate dry conditions will be vital if we want to help people avoid poor harvests, which can increase the incidence of poverty," he said.
Dr Rafique said the BRRI was giving priority to developing stress-tolerant rice with a view to increasing rice production to ensure food security amid threats of climate change in the country.
KGF Executive Director Dr Nurul Alam, Senior Programme Officer Dr Rahim Uddin Ahmed, Director of BARI's Horticulture Research Centre Dr Rawshan Ali, BRRI Plant Breeder Tomalya Aditya and OFRD (Barind Centre) Principal Investigator Dr Abdus Salam also spoke.
"The farmers are choosing BRRI dhan57 for its coloured and slender grain type like Swarna, a popular high-yielding South Asian variety," said BRRI rice breeder Dr Tamalya Aditya.
Because of this early maturity and good grain quality of BRRI dhan57, farmers can harvest more rice and get high-value rice from the variety when drought occurs. Tomalya Aditya said, "The variety is also resistant to blast - a common rice disease in Bangladesh, and BPH - and have good grain quality."
In a participatory evaluation, farmers' feedback revealed that they prefer the variety as they also cater to their local needs.