Home ›› 31 Jul 2022 ›› Nation
The cultivation of zinc-enriched BRRI Dhan-84 and Bangabandhu Dhan-100 is expanding in the five districts of Rangpur agricultural zone due to its high potential.
Experts say the high-yielding short duration paddy has a significant nutritious value that helps boost the immune system of the human body.
A non-government organisation Natun Zibon Rochi (NAZIR) based in Lalmonirhat district began to promote the farmers of the region to cultivate the paddy variety nine years ago. Farming has increased over the years for its multiple values.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Rangpur, the variety was cultivated on 99,000 hectares of land through the Rangpur region in the recent past season this year, which is 24 per cent higher compared to 80,000 hectares in 2021.
Agriculturalists and experts encouraged the farmers to cultivate the zinc-enriched paddy significantly for its economic and health values, and its immune system boosting benefits.
Habibullah Miah, a farmer and trader of zinc-enriched paddy seeds at Nabdigonj village under Pirgacha upazila of the district, said he has been cultivating the crop on three bighas of land for the last four years and gets around 60 maunds of production.
The variety tastes delicious which is very beneficial to developing growth and immunity.
Farmers felt reluctant at the beginning, but they later realised the potentiality and importance of the variety. Many started to pay for seeds in advance following the Covid-19 pandemic. So, the number of farmers cultivating the paddy is increasing, he added.
Ganda Rani, a farmer at Poschimdewgar village under Rajarhat upazila in Kurigram said, the NGO – NAZIR – has helped her get zinc-enriched paddy seeds. She cultivated the variety on three bighas of land and got 65 maunds of the crop. She will increase the cultivation next year.
Jyotish Ray, a farmer in Dhalgram village under Kaliganj upazila of Lalmonirhat district, said he started farming the paddy on one bigha of land six years ago. He has brought five bighas of land under cultivation this year after profiting from the variety.
The variety has proven to be nutritious, its price is the same and sometimes even low compared to other varieties in the market. Many farmers in the village have gotten inspired and started farming this particular variety of paddy, he added.
Bablu Miah, a rice trader at Mahiganj, the wholesale rice market of Rangpur city, said he has been buying zinc-rich paddy directly from the farmers to sell in the wholesale market for the last six years.
“We are receiving a lot of supply orders across the country. Many consumers come to my shop every day to buy rice following the advice of physicians. His average sale in the shop is about five tonnes,” he added.
NAZIR’s Project Manager Mosharaf Hossain said, “We have prepared many demonstration plots to convince the farmers about the nutrition and economic value of this crop.”
The NGO is implementing the farming project under the “Commercialisation of Biofortified Crops (CBC) programme,” supported by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and HarvestPlus, he added.
Additional Director of DAE Rangpur region Md Emdad Hossain, said farmers initially showed little interest to cultivate the zinc-enriched variety as they prefer cultivating other varieties of paddy.
But this mentality has been changed now. Many of the farmers feel interested in cultivating the paddy and getting benefits. The field-level DAE officials are advising the farmers in the region to cultivate the variety so that the market of zinc-enriched paddy will expand.
Ashraful Islam, Regional Controller of Food Rangpur, said a proposal was sent to the ministry concerned to procure zinc-enriched paddy in government warehouses as relief items. It will help support the marginalised people if the government procures the variety.
Senior Coordinator Agriculture & Environment RDRS Bangladesh, Mamunur Rashid said, the zinc-enriched paddy is a superb variety. The farmers can be economically benefited and the country will be nutritionally benefitted from the cultivation of the paddy.
