Boosting drought-tolerant rice cultivation stressed

RANGPUR, Oct 14 (BSS): Expanded cultivation of the short duration and drought-tolerant variety BRRI dhan56 rice could increase rice production to ensure food security under adverse climatic condition, experts at a Farmers' Field Day said here today.

RDRS Bangladesh organised the Field Day for demonstrating farming technologies of BRRI dhan56 rice adopting Direct Seeded Rice method with Power Tiller Operated Seeder and harvesting the crop in village Purbo Echlee under Gangachara Upazila.

RDRS Bangladesh has been expanding cultivation of drought tolerant rice with the assistance of Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) under its Sustainable and Resilient Farming System Intensification (SRFSI) Project.

Upazila Agriculture Officer Abdullah Al Mamun of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) attended the programme and inaugurated the harvest of BRRI dhan56 rice there as the chief guest with local elite Azizul Islam in the chair.

Sub-assistant Plant Protection Officer of the DAE Habibur Rahman, Sub-assistant Agriculture Officer Bhupal Chandra Roy, Field Assistant of RDRS Bangladesh Shahinul Islam and its Field Supervisor Enamul Haque attended the programme.

Senior Agriculture officer of RDRS Bangladesh Anup Kumar Ghosh narrated the necessity of expanded cultivation of drought tolerant BRRI dhan56 rice using the latest and cost effective technologies to increase rice production under adverse climatic condition.

Local farmers Mostafizur Rahman and Nittya Nanda Roy described the benefits of adopting Direct Seeded Rice method with Power Tiller Operated Seeder to get excellent yields of the short duration rice at reduced costs for farming and labours.

Early harvest of the short duration rice enables the farmers to cultivate maize on the same field followed by mustard/potato-mug-parija rice cropping pattern to overcome seasonal lean period creating huge farm activities to earn more profits, the speakers said.

The chief guest appreciated RDRS Bangladesh for disseminating the farming technology among farmers to increase rice production.

After completing harvest, the local farmers got an average of three tonnes of rice per hectare of drought tolerant variety BRRI dhan56 cultivated by them on their lands with the assistance of RDRS Bangladesh.