BSS, Rangpur :
Experts at a farmers’ field day have stressed for expanded adoption of the ‘Short duration Aman rice-mustard/potato-mug bean-parija rice’ newer cropping pattern to get four crops annually from the same land.
They suggested the farmers for using conservation agriculture (CA)-based Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) with Power Tiller Operated Seeder (PTOS) technologies in farming drought tolerant variety rice to increase food production under adverse climate.
RDRS Bangladesh organised the field day in village Sarolkhan under Aditmari upazila of Lalmonirhat to demonstrate cultivation methods of drought tolerant BRRI dhan56 rice adopting CA-based DSR with PTOS technologies on Monday afternoon.
The NGO organised the occasion with assistance of Stress Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia (STARSA) Project being funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
With Chairman of Sarpukur Union Federation Entaz Ali in the chair, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) for Lalmonirhat Mohammad Shafayet Hossain attended the occasion and inaugurated harvesting of BRRI dhan56 as the chief guest.
Aditmari Upazila Agriculture Officer of the DAE Hamidur Rahman attended the field day discussion as the special guest while Assistant Coordinator (Agriculture) of RDRS Bangladesh Syeda Nuhera Begum delivered the welcome speech.
A total of 173 farmers including 97 males and 76 females, Sub-assistant Agriculture Officers, officials of RDRS Bangladesh, members of Sarpukur Union Federation, local community leaders, journalists and local elite were present.
In her speech, Syeda Nuhera Begum narrated the necessity for expanded cultivation of drought tolerant and short duration rice varieties like BRRI dhan56 using cost effective CA-based technologies to increase rice production under adverse climate.
Farmer Mohammad Ali narrated his success in farming of the short duration and drought tolerant BRRI dhan56 rice using the CA-based DSR and PTOS technologies on his 33 decimals land this time to get 4.36 tonnes yield per hectare at reduced costs.
The chief guest said there is a brighter prospect for farming of the drought tolerant BRRI dhan56 rice in Lalmonirhat district to increase rice production at reduced costs to make agriculture more profitable for the farmers side by side ensuring food security.
Appreciating efforts of RDRS Bangladesh in expanding cultivation of BRRI dhan56, he said early harvest of the rice enables farmers to cultivate Kharif-1 maize followed by wheat farming on the same land using CA-based technologies to get more yield and better profits.
