RAJSHAHI, July 1, 2018 (BSS)-Concerted efforts of all scientists, researchers and extension officials are very important to boost Aman paddy yield to feed the gradually increasing population of the country.
As the rice is staple food of the country so its production needs to be enhanced through managing all sorts of challenges, including diseases and adverse impact of climate change.
The views were expressed at a regional workshop here today.
The scientists, researchers and extension officials attending the event urged all the field level officials to discharge their duties with utmost sincerity and honesty to ensure food security of the nation through boosting paddy yield.
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) jointly organized the workshop styled “Way forward to Increase Aman Paddy Yield in Rajshahi and Bogra Zones” at training dormitory of Fruit Research Station.
Chaired by Dr Tomal Lota Aditya, director (Research) of BRRI, the workshop was addressed, among others, by BRRI Director General Dr Shahjahan Kabir and additional directors of DAE SM Mustafizur Rahman and Matiar Rahman.
During their keynote presentations, DAE Deputy Directors Joynal Abedeen and Kamal Uddin gave an overview of Aman paddy production in the region.
Dr Dr Shahjahan Kabir told the meeting that BRRI has, so far, developed 41 Aman varieties including 39 inbreeds which are suitable for cultivation in the country.
“We have released seven drought tolerant varieties including one aromatic for the Barind area,” he said adding that some of those have gained popularity among farmers during the last couple of years.
He also mentioned that the conventional Parija variety is being replaced by some of the new varieties which is a good sign for the region in terms of boosting yield.
Dr Kabir said there has been an enormous prospect of bringing harvesting intensity coupled with increasing food production through a successful promotion of the developed varieties.
To maintain sound soil health, it could be advisable to grow rice using a different system in order to improve compatibility between monsoon rice and upland winter crops.
The newly innovated paddy varieties have opened up a door of enormous prospects for food security along with mitigating the crises of irrigation water.
They are giving satisfactory yield with scanty rainfall and limited irrigation during the Aman season in the area.
This would also go well with a shift in economic importance of the winter crops over monsoon rice.
He also mentioned large-scale promotion of direct seeded rice (DSR) farming process can lessen the pressure on groundwater in Barind area in Aman season.
DSR is the viable option to reduce the unproductive water flows. Water scarcity, common rice cultivation and increasing labour wages trigger searching for such alternative crop establishment methods which can increase water productivity.
More than 150 paddy related scientists, researchers and extension officials from both government and non-government entities concerned joined the workshop sharing views on the issue.