BSS,Rajshahi :
Agricultural researchers and extension officials have urged the farmers to bring more lands under Brridhan-62, a zinc-enriched and drought-tolerant paddy variety, in the vast barind tract for food security and eradicating the existing malnutrition problems.
They told the grassroots farmers that the newly innovated paddy variety has opened up a door of enormous prospects of mitigating zinc and protein deficiency besides fighting diarrhea and pneumonia-induced childhood deaths and stunting.
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) released the variety for all over the country last year after a latest breakthrough in research in the field. It’s a short-duration high-yielding variety of rice which could be cultivated in Aman season.
They made these observations while addressing a farmers gathering titled “Crop cutting of Brridhan-62 and Result Demonstration in Village level for Technology Transfer” held at Pakkry village under Godagari Upazila of the district on Tuesday afternoon.
Agriculture Sustainable and Socioeconomic Development Organization (ASSEDO) under its project titled “Promoting Food Security and Livelihoods of Marginalized People of Barind Tract (PFLMB)” organized the programme in association with Oxfam.
Earlier, ASSEDO provided seeds of Brridhan-62 to some 80 marginal farmers in Rajshahi and Chapainawabgonj districts free of cost with the support from PFLMB project.
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.
Upazila Chairman Md Ishaque addressed the discussion as chief guest with Upazila Nirbahi Officer Khalid Hossain in the chair. Upazila Agriculture Officer Mozder Hossain, ASSEDO Executive Director Rabiul Islam, Assistant Agriculture Officer Abul Kalam Azad and PFLMB Project Manager Mahabub Zaman spoke on the occasion as resource persons.
Technical Officer (Value Chain Development) Moktar Hossain and Field Facilitators Kismat Ara, Ariful Islam, ismail Hossain and Sagar Ali also spoke.
Highlighting salient features of the paddy variety Agriculturist Mozder Hossain says the BRRI breeders developed the hi-zinc rice with support from Harvest Plus, which is a global bio-fortification mission.
The BRRI 62 has been the most-discussed rice variety as it is a zinc-fortified breed and have been developed to meet the necessary requirement of micronutrient for a human body coupled with ensuring food security.
Each kilogram of rice of BRRI dhan-62 contained 19 mg of zinc and 9 per cent of protein which will ensure high nutrition and will play a significant role in prevention of diseases; Zinc also played a vital role in prevention of liver-related diseases.
Zinc, iron and vitamin-A are the three most vital micronutrients, deficiency of which hampers children’s natural growth and decrease their disease prevention capacity.
Agricultural researchers and extension officials have urged the farmers to bring more lands under Brridhan-62, a zinc-enriched and drought-tolerant paddy variety, in the vast barind tract for food security and eradicating the existing malnutrition problems.
They told the grassroots farmers that the newly innovated paddy variety has opened up a door of enormous prospects of mitigating zinc and protein deficiency besides fighting diarrhea and pneumonia-induced childhood deaths and stunting.
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) released the variety for all over the country last year after a latest breakthrough in research in the field. It’s a short-duration high-yielding variety of rice which could be cultivated in Aman season.
They made these observations while addressing a farmers gathering titled “Crop cutting of Brridhan-62 and Result Demonstration in Village level for Technology Transfer” held at Pakkry village under Godagari Upazila of the district on Tuesday afternoon.
Agriculture Sustainable and Socioeconomic Development Organization (ASSEDO) under its project titled “Promoting Food Security and Livelihoods of Marginalized People of Barind Tract (PFLMB)” organized the programme in association with Oxfam.
Earlier, ASSEDO provided seeds of Brridhan-62 to some 80 marginal farmers in Rajshahi and Chapainawabgonj districts free of cost with the support from PFLMB project.
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.
Upazila Chairman Md Ishaque addressed the discussion as chief guest with Upazila Nirbahi Officer Khalid Hossain in the chair. Upazila Agriculture Officer Mozder Hossain, ASSEDO Executive Director Rabiul Islam, Assistant Agriculture Officer Abul Kalam Azad and PFLMB Project Manager Mahabub Zaman spoke on the occasion as resource persons.
Technical Officer (Value Chain Development) Moktar Hossain and Field Facilitators Kismat Ara, Ariful Islam, ismail Hossain and Sagar Ali also spoke.
Highlighting salient features of the paddy variety Agriculturist Mozder Hossain says the BRRI breeders developed the hi-zinc rice with support from Harvest Plus, which is a global bio-fortification mission.
The BRRI 62 has been the most-discussed rice variety as it is a zinc-fortified breed and have been developed to meet the necessary requirement of micronutrient for a human body coupled with ensuring food security.
Each kilogram of rice of BRRI dhan-62 contained 19 mg of zinc and 9 per cent of protein which will ensure high nutrition and will play a significant role in prevention of diseases; Zinc also played a vital role in prevention of liver-related diseases.
Zinc, iron and vitamin-A are the three most vital micronutrients, deficiency of which hampers children’s natural growth and decrease their disease prevention capacity.
