RANGPUR, Sept 8, 2020 (BSS) – Agriculture experts at a workshop here
today stressed on expanding high yielding varieties (HYV) of rice farming to
achieve high output, more milling percentage of head rice and earn better
profits.
They viewed this at the workshop titled ‘Different varieties of rice
milling percentage evaluation and result sharing’ organised by RDRS
Bangladesh under the Accelerated Genetic Gains in Rice (AGGRi) Alliance
project at its Training Centre in the city.
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) extended support in
arranging the event under the project being implemented in Gaibandha,
Kurigram and Rangpur districts from 2019 with financial assistance of the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
The project is being implemented to popularise cultivation of high
yielding rice varieties having high milling percentage of head rice up to 75
percent by setting up exhibition plots and milling of harvested rice
involving local rice millers.
Farmers and rice millers of the three districts in Rangpur division
participated in the workshop arranged strictly maintaining health directives
of the government under the present coronavirus pandemic situation.
Seed Certification Officer of the District Seed Certification Agency for
Rangpur Agriculturist Md. Khorshed Alam attended the workshop as the chief
guest.
Scientific Officer Agriculturalist Tapan Kumar Roy of Bangladesh Rice
Research Institute (BRRI) at its Rangpur regional station, Senior Coordinator
(Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Md. Mamunur
Rashid and its Research Associate Md. Mahfuz Alam spoke.
Agriculture Officer of RDRS Bangladesh Anup Kumar Ghosh delivered a
keynote essay narrating achieved milling percentages of 29 high yielding rice
varieties cultivated during the last Aman and Boro seasons under the project
in the three districts.
“We achieved up to 75 percent of head rice after milling of BRRI dhan89,
BRRI dhan58, BRRI dhan84, BRRI dhan74 and BRRI dhan79 rice varieties out of
the cultivated 29 rice varieties,” Anup said.
The chief guest said the field level research conducted by RDRS
Bangladesh showed that milling percentage and yield rate of BRRI dhan89, BRRI
dhan58, BRRI dhan84, BRRI dhan74 and BRRI dhan79 rice varieties are very high
and more profitable.
“Farmers should expand farming of these high yielding rice varieties
having high milling percentage to get high yield rate and earn more profits,”
he said, adding that the rate of pests’ attacks on these rice varieties is
also very low.