A Correspondent, Barishal :
Farmers in Barisal region have achieved great success by cultivating high yielding Paddy in the current Aman season. Among the hundreds of marginal farmers in Barishal, Patuakhali, Bhola and Jhalokati districts, newly invented high yielding Aman varieties of paddy seeds (Bina dhan7,17,22,23 BR-11,22 and BRRIdhan33,51,52,71,72,73,76,78,80,87,93,94 & 95), cash assistance including fertilizers and pesticides has been provided from the project of Accelerated Genetic Gains in Rice Alliance. The People’s Development Institute (PDI), a non-government organization, has implemented the project with the technical and financial support of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). By cultivating these new varieties of paddy, the farmers of Barishal region are very happy to get the expected yield. Therefore, the farmers requested ERRI through PDI for distribution of such varieties of Aman paddy seeds among the farmers at a large scale in future.
Under the project, a crop cutting field day has arranged in Bikna village of Jhalokati Sadar upazila. Mr. Foni Bhushan Dhali, Deputy Assistant Plant Protection Officer of Jhalokati Sadar Upazila has present on the occasion. He said that we need to distribute these varieties of paddy among other farmers in large scale through our agriculture office”. Farmer Abdul Khaleq Hawlader said that the higher the yield of the new variety, the higher the price of paddy. Winter vegetables can also be cultivated in advance on the same land. This will meet the nutritional needs of his family as well as benefit financially. Mrs. Anika Tabassum Program Coordinator of PDI and Mr. Ranjit Das Program Officer of PDI have present on the occasion. Ranjit Das said that the farmers are very happy to get higher yield and market price by cultivating these new varieties of paddy.
