RANGPUR, July 18, 2019 (BSS) -Agriculturists at a meeting have said adoption of Alternate Drying and Wetting (AWD) irrigation technology in farming Boro rice increases up to 15 percent rice yield saving up to 30 percent underground water.
They said this at a ‘Result Sharing Meeting on AWD Technology with Upazila Irrigation Committee (UIC)’ held at upazila parishad auditorium in Kishoreganj upazila of Nilphamari on Wednesday afternoon, a press release said today.
With assistance of upazila administration and Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), RDRS Bangladesh and Northwest Focal Area Network organised the meeting with funding of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
The UIC Chairman and Kishoreganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abul Kalam Azad attended as the chief guest while Assistant Engineer of Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation Mushfiqur Rahman in the chair.
Filed Supervisor of IRRI-AWD project of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Md. Abdul Mazed Mian discussed benefits of climate resilient AWD irrigation technology in farming Boro rice.
“Some 882 farmers got excellent results irrigating Boro rice fields adopting AWD technology with RDRS Bangladesh assistance on 337 acres of land using 50 shallow tube wells in six northern districts during the just-ended Rabi season,” Mian said.
Kishoreganj Upazila Agriculture Officer Agriculturist Md. Habibur Rahman expressed satisfaction over field level results of adoption of AWD technology in Boro rice farming in the upazila.
Research Associate of ‘Farmers behaviuoral insight project’ of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Ashish Kumar Majumder said AWD technology saved huge water, diesel and electricity for irrigation and produced 500 kg more Boro rice per hectare.
Agriculture Officer of RDRS Bangladesh for Nilphamari Agriculturist Atikur Rahman said farmers are happy getting additional rice yield adopting the irrigation technology in farming Boro rice this year.
The chief guest called for expanding AWD irrigation technology in farming Boro rice to get more rice yield at reduced costs reducing huge pressure on underground water and improving environment and ecosystem.