BSS, Rajshahi :
BINADhan-7, a paddy variety innovated by Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), has gained popularity among both farmers and consumers level in the region including its vast barind tract for the last couple of years.
The newly innovated paddy variety has opened up a new door of enormous prospects of food security along with mitigating the crises of lean period.
According to the officials concerned, farmers in the region have brought more than 85,000 hectares of land under the variety this year creating a new dimension in the field of paddy farming.
BINA officials are working here for bringing around 3 lakh hectares of land under new variety cultivation within the next five years.
Dr Abul Kalam Azad, Principal Scientific Officer of BINA, said the variety is likely to bring about a revolutionary change in agriculture and the economy of the region. It can also help to make the country self-reliant in food.
He stated that it is a short duration and high yielding paddy and takes 110 to 115 days from cultivation to harvest. As a result, after the harvest of BINA Dhan-7 and before the cultivation of Boro, farmers can grow other crops like potato, mustard, lentil, gram and some early Rabi crops.
Apart from this, taste and flavour of the variety is better and its market price is comparatively higher than many other varieties.
BINA developed the variety in November 2007 and this year farmers have succeeded in cultivating this paddy on 85,000 hectares of land in the region. Meanwhile, cultivation of this paddy has started in the dried areas like Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon districts. It has adopted a five-year mega plan for more expansion of the early variety paddy from the next season and if it is implemented successfully, economy of the region would be bolstered.
The initiative has been taken to increase agricultural production and income of marginalised and vulnerable families of the Barind tract by adapting climate adaptive sustainable agricultural technologies, diversifying income generating activities and skill development.
ATM Rafiqul Islam, Deputy Project Manager of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority, said climate change, various natural disasters have been occurring, are posing a serious threat to food security. So there is no alternative to multiplied and intensified cultivation during disaster-free periods.
Besides, promoting need-based varieties and technologies has become an urgent need to cope with the changed climatic condition to ensure food security of the country’s gradually rising population, he added.
“Early harvest of the paddy has been creating jobs for the farm-labourers also paving way for early farming of vegetables and potatoes on the same land engaging thousands of farm-labourers to earn their wages,” he added.
He mentioned that short duration paddy farming has become very popular and effective to combat job crises and there is no way for seasonal curse.
BINADhan-7, a paddy variety innovated by Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), has gained popularity among both farmers and consumers level in the region including its vast barind tract for the last couple of years.
The newly innovated paddy variety has opened up a new door of enormous prospects of food security along with mitigating the crises of lean period.
According to the officials concerned, farmers in the region have brought more than 85,000 hectares of land under the variety this year creating a new dimension in the field of paddy farming.
BINA officials are working here for bringing around 3 lakh hectares of land under new variety cultivation within the next five years.
Dr Abul Kalam Azad, Principal Scientific Officer of BINA, said the variety is likely to bring about a revolutionary change in agriculture and the economy of the region. It can also help to make the country self-reliant in food.
He stated that it is a short duration and high yielding paddy and takes 110 to 115 days from cultivation to harvest. As a result, after the harvest of BINA Dhan-7 and before the cultivation of Boro, farmers can grow other crops like potato, mustard, lentil, gram and some early Rabi crops.
Apart from this, taste and flavour of the variety is better and its market price is comparatively higher than many other varieties.
BINA developed the variety in November 2007 and this year farmers have succeeded in cultivating this paddy on 85,000 hectares of land in the region. Meanwhile, cultivation of this paddy has started in the dried areas like Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon districts. It has adopted a five-year mega plan for more expansion of the early variety paddy from the next season and if it is implemented successfully, economy of the region would be bolstered.
The initiative has been taken to increase agricultural production and income of marginalised and vulnerable families of the Barind tract by adapting climate adaptive sustainable agricultural technologies, diversifying income generating activities and skill development.
ATM Rafiqul Islam, Deputy Project Manager of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority, said climate change, various natural disasters have been occurring, are posing a serious threat to food security. So there is no alternative to multiplied and intensified cultivation during disaster-free periods.
Besides, promoting need-based varieties and technologies has become an urgent need to cope with the changed climatic condition to ensure food security of the country’s gradually rising population, he added.
“Early harvest of the paddy has been creating jobs for the farm-labourers also paving way for early farming of vegetables and potatoes on the same land engaging thousands of farm-labourers to earn their wages,” he added.
He mentioned that short duration paddy farming has become very popular and effective to combat job crises and there is no way for seasonal curse.
