BSS, Rajshahi :
BINADhan-7, a short-duration paddy variety innovated by Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), has gained popularity among the farmers and consumers in the region including its vast barind tract for the last couple of years.
The newly innovated drought-tolerant paddy variety has opened up a door of enormous prospects for food security along with mitigating the crisis of lean period.
Besides, the variety has been giving satisfactory yield if there is scanty rainfall with limited irrigation during the Aush season in the area.
The success story has been revealed in a farmers gathering on the variety, at Kondalpur village under Kalma Union under Tanore upazila of Rajshahi district on Sunday. Agriculture Sustainable and Socioeconomic Development Organization (ASSEDO) organized the ceremony in association with its project titled “Promoting Food Security and Livelihoods of Marginalized People of Barind Tract (PFLMB)”.
Earlier, the project provided seeds of three drought tolerant varieties-Binadhan-7, Brridhan-48 and Brridhan-57- to some 300 marginal farmers of Nezampur and Nachole Sadar, Kalma and Badhair of Tanore Upazila at free of cost.
Besides, 120 destitute farmers received costs of fertilizers and other farming costs.
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.
With Nesaul Haque, a social worker, in the chair, Upazila Agriculture Officer Dr Hassanul Kabir Kamali addressed the ceremony as chief guest while ASSEDO Executive Director Agriculturist Rabiul Alam, UP Members Noimuddin and Fatema Begum, Sub Assistant Agriculture Officer Yeasin Ali, PFLMB Project Director Mahbub Jaman Tapan and Technical Officer Jakir Hossain spoke as special guests.
Terming the development of the drought-tolerant varieties as the demand of time, Rabiul Alam expected that the varieties would start contributing a lot to ensure food security.
He, however, hoped that the varieties would bring a positive result for around 2 million hectares of land in the rain-fed drought prone area alongside playing a vital role in boosting rice yield in the days ahead.
While sharing their experiences, three of the participating farmers-
Monwara Begum, Swapna Ara Khatun and Nibha Parveen-told the visiting scientists and extension officials that the BINADhan-7 variety has brought enormous benefit for them as they can cultivate rice in drought prone rain fed environment.
By virtue of early harvesting characteristics the variety supplements the farming of transplanted aman and various rabi crops like tomato, brinjal, mustard and vegetables.
They stated that it is a short duration and high yielding paddy and takes 100 to 110 days from cultivation to harvest. Apart from this, taste and flavour of the variety is better and its market price is comparatively higher than many other varieties.
The declining rainfall coupled with enhanced temperature has left the agriculture sector in a vulnerable condition.
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 allowing thousands of farm- labourers to earn their wages, they added.
BINADhan-7, a short-duration paddy variety innovated by Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), has gained popularity among the farmers and consumers in the region including its vast barind tract for the last couple of years.
The newly innovated drought-tolerant paddy variety has opened up a door of enormous prospects for food security along with mitigating the crisis of lean period.
Besides, the variety has been giving satisfactory yield if there is scanty rainfall with limited irrigation during the Aush season in the area.
The success story has been revealed in a farmers gathering on the variety, at Kondalpur village under Kalma Union under Tanore upazila of Rajshahi district on Sunday. Agriculture Sustainable and Socioeconomic Development Organization (ASSEDO) organized the ceremony in association with its project titled “Promoting Food Security and Livelihoods of Marginalized People of Barind Tract (PFLMB)”.
Earlier, the project provided seeds of three drought tolerant varieties-Binadhan-7, Brridhan-48 and Brridhan-57- to some 300 marginal farmers of Nezampur and Nachole Sadar, Kalma and Badhair of Tanore Upazila at free of cost.
Besides, 120 destitute farmers received costs of fertilizers and other farming costs.
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.
With Nesaul Haque, a social worker, in the chair, Upazila Agriculture Officer Dr Hassanul Kabir Kamali addressed the ceremony as chief guest while ASSEDO Executive Director Agriculturist Rabiul Alam, UP Members Noimuddin and Fatema Begum, Sub Assistant Agriculture Officer Yeasin Ali, PFLMB Project Director Mahbub Jaman Tapan and Technical Officer Jakir Hossain spoke as special guests.
Terming the development of the drought-tolerant varieties as the demand of time, Rabiul Alam expected that the varieties would start contributing a lot to ensure food security.
He, however, hoped that the varieties would bring a positive result for around 2 million hectares of land in the rain-fed drought prone area alongside playing a vital role in boosting rice yield in the days ahead.
While sharing their experiences, three of the participating farmers-
Monwara Begum, Swapna Ara Khatun and Nibha Parveen-told the visiting scientists and extension officials that the BINADhan-7 variety has brought enormous benefit for them as they can cultivate rice in drought prone rain fed environment.
By virtue of early harvesting characteristics the variety supplements the farming of transplanted aman and various rabi crops like tomato, brinjal, mustard and vegetables.
They stated that it is a short duration and high yielding paddy and takes 100 to 110 days from cultivation to harvest. Apart from this, taste and flavour of the variety is better and its market price is comparatively higher than many other varieties.
The declining rainfall coupled with enhanced temperature has left the agriculture sector in a vulnerable condition.
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 allowing thousands of farm- labourers to earn their wages, they added.
