Easily affordable zinc rice reduces malnourishment

Experts at a workshop have stressed on expanding cultivation and consumption of easily affordable bio fortified zinc rice to reduce zinc deficiency in malnourished populations and strengthen their immune systems.

They put importance on developing more biofortified crop varieties suitable to grow in the toughest geographical areas of the country involving trained farmers also considering consumer traits.

Harvest Plus Bangladesh organised the event on Policy and Programme Inclusion of Biofortified Crops in Northern Bangladesh under the Integrated Food System Approach to Build Nutrition Security Project with funding from the Government of Canada.

Rangpur Divisional Commissioner Md. Abdul Wahhab Bhuiyan attended the workshop held at the RDRS conference room here on Tuesday as the chief guest.

Dr. Md Khairul Bashar, Country Manager, Harvest Plus Bangladesh as the guest of honor attended the workshop presided over by Md. Tauhidul Ikbal, Additional Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Rangpur region.

Md. Shah Alam, Additional Director (Acting) of the DAE, Dinajpur region was present as special guest.

Deputy Country Manager of HarvestPlus Bangladesh Dr. MA Saleque welcomed the guests.

Forty officials and experts of different departments, officials of Harvest Plus Bangladesh, project implementing partner NGOs and journalists participated.

Harvest Plus improves nutrition and public health by developing and promoting biofortified food crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals and providing global leadership on bio fortification evidence and technology.

Harvest Plus is part of the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) and is based at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

The project aims to improve food and nutrition security while protecting livelihoods amid Covid-19 pandemic by increasing access to bio fortified seeds and markets for smallholder farmers and SMEs through value chains for better economic returns.

Project Coordinator of HarvestPlus Bangladesh Md. Mozibar Rahman presented an essay on ‘Biofortification: A sustainable way to build nutrition security’.

“The project aims to reach 405,067 households with biofortified zinc rice seed and grain, specially BRRI dhan74 and BRRI dhan84 to benefit 2,025,333 (50pc women) people in Rangpur division of Bangladesh by June 2022,” he said.

Dr. Md. Khairul Bashar said zinc deficiency in the human body causes stunting, lowers immunity and increases the risk of diarrheal diseases andrespiratory infections.