Shawdesh desk: Farmers are happy after getting high yield rate of zinc-enriched Bangabandhu dhan100 rice between 7.30 and 7.50 tonnes in terms of dry paddy per hectare of land this season in Rangpur region.

In the last two days, farmers in separate crop cutting functions harvested six varieties of rice including Bangabandhu dhan100 at different areas of the region, a press release said this afternoon.

Farmers got high yield of Bangabandhu dhan100 rice evolved by Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) marking the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman last year.

RDRS Bangladesh, an NGO, with assistance of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) organized the crop cutting functions in different upazilas of Rangpur, Gaibandha and Lalmonirhat.

The NGO is expanding cultivation of six varieties of rice including Bangabandhu dhan100 rice with technical assistance of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) under the Accelerated Genetic Gains in Rice
Alliance (AGGRi) Project funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In Kawnia upazila of Rangpur, Upazila Agriculture Officer of the DAE Agriculturist Shahnaj Parvin attended crop cutting functions on exhibition plots of farmers Abdul Mazid Sarker at village Balapara Hariswar, Morshia Begum of village Butchara and Nurun Nabi of village Char Shabdi as the chief guest.

Presided over by Agriculture Officer of RDRS Bangladesh Shahriar Azam Shakil, Agriculture Extension Officer at Kawnia Upazila Agriculture Office Mohammad Rakib Alam attended the functions as special guest.

In Taraganj upazila of Rangpur, Sub-assistant Agriculture Officer Badsha Alamgir Bakshi attended the function on the exhibition plot of farmer Shahjahan Ali Shipul in village Alampur as the chief guest.

Besides, the NGO organized crop cutting functions on exhibition plots of farmers Abul Kalam Azad in village Khoddo Komarpur and Shorab Hossain in village Bhatgram of Sadullapur upazila in Gaibandha and Sushil Chandro in village Sarartari of Sadar upazila and Keramot Ali in village Purbo Bhelabari of Aditmari upazila in Lalmonirhat.

In all exhibition plots, farmers harvested six varieties of rice including BRRI dhan28, BRRI dhan74, BRRI dhan81, BRRI dhan84, BRRI dhan88 and Bangabandhu dhan100 rice.

“Farmers got maximum yield rates between 7.30 tonnes and 7.50 tonnes of dry paddy of Bangabandhu dhan100 rice while yield rates of other varieties remained between 5.50 and six tonnes per hectare of land,” the release added.

Agriculturist Shahnaj Parvin stressed on expanding cultivation and consumption of zinc-enriched rice varieties like BRRI dhan74 to meet zinc deficiency of common people and enhance their disease resistant capacity.