BSS, Rangpur :
Experts of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) have said the government has been assisting flood-hit farmers in recouping crop losses incurred during recent floods.
They were addressing a ceremony arranged at Chilmari Upazila Agriculture Office for distribution of late variety Transplanted Aman seedling among 30 flood-hit small and marginal farmers of Chilmari, Roumari and Rajibpur upazilas in Kurigram on Monday.
Coordinator of Advanced Studies and Research (CASR) from the BRRI Headquarters at Gazipur Dr Abu Salek attended the ceremony as the chief guest and distributed late variety BR 22 and BRRI dhan 46 Aman seedling among the flood-affected farmers.
Head of Rangpur Regional Station of BRRI and its Principal Scientific Officer (PSO) Dr Shahidul Islam, Acting Deputy Director of DAE for Kurigram Dr Afsar Ali, Chilmari Upazila Livestock Officer Dr Habibur Rahman addressed as the special guests.
With Chilmari upazila Vice-chairman Abdul Kuddus Sarker in the chair, Chilmari Upazila Agriculture Officer Nazrul Islam delivered welcome speech and said recent floods of the Brahmaputra and Teesta have damaged standing crops on 3,748 hectares of land in Chilmari upazila alone.
“The prolonged floods from August 16 to September 3 also damaged huge crops in nearby Roumari and Rajibpur upazilas,” he said and thanked the BRRI authorities for distributing late variety Aman seedling free of costs among the flood-affected farmers.
More than 150 flood-affected small and marginal farmers, upazila level GO-NGO officials, public representatives, civil society members, community leaders, teachers, professionals and local elite were present.
After getting late variety BR 22 and BRRI dhan 46 Aman seedling, flood-hit marginal farmer Abdul Wahid of Chilmari expressed deep gratitude to BRRI and said he would complete seedling transplantation on his flood-affected cropland anew by today.
Head of Rangpur Regional Station of BRRI Dr Shahidul Islam narrated the cultivation and agronomical management processes of late variety BR 22 and BRRI dhan 46 Aman on the submerged lands of the farmers after recession of floodwater.
He suggested the flood-affected farmers for preserving the produced seed of these late varieties Aman rice with a view to use those in preparing seedbed, if floods would again damage their Aman crop during the next rainy season.
