RAJSHAHI, Nov 12, 2018 (BSS) – Agricultural scientists and researchers
have urged the farmers to promote unpuddled transplanted rice to mitigate the
water-stressed condition in Barind area.
They identically mentioned that the cost-effective modern farming system
can be expanded to more than 1.60 lakh hectares of land in high barind tract
comprising ten upazilas in Rajshahi and Chapainawabgonj districts.
They came up with the observation while addressing a farmers’ field day
styled “Unpuddled transplanted rice” at Rajarampur village under Godagari
Upazila in Rajshahi district on Sunday. More than 100 farmers both male and
female joined the meeting sharing their views on the farming system.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Bangladesh Agriculture
Research Institute (BARI) and CIMMYT-Bangladesh jointly organized the meeting
under the “Sustainable and Resilient Farming Systems Intensification in the
Eastern Gangetic Plains (SRFSI) project.
Director (On-farm Wing) of DAE Dr Abdul Muyeed addressed the meeting as
chief guest with its Additional Director Mustafizur Rahman in the chair.
Chief Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Dr Aminul
Islam, DAE District Training Officer Monjurul Haque, BARI Senior Scientific
Officer Dr Shakhawat Hossain and Upazila Agriculture Officer Shafiqul Islam
also spoke.
Highlighting the salient feature of the technology Dr Aminul Islam told
the meeting that the system is very effective of making the farmers benefited
in Boro season.
The technology could be the effective means of utilizing the minimum
amount of water for crop like avoiding paddling operation in present context
of climate change.
Dr Muyeed put emphasis on devising way and means to promote unpuddled
transplanted rice as it not only minimizes using of water but also reduces
production cost and increases profit.