ZCZC
BSS-09
WORKSHOP-AMAN-PADDY (with picture)
Concerted efforts needed to boost Aman paddy yield
RAJSHAHI, July 1, 2018 (BSS)-Concerted efforts of all scientists,
researchers and extension officials are very important to boost Aman paddy
yield to feed the gradually increasing population of the country.
As the rice is staple food of the country so its production needs to be
enhanced through managing all sorts of challenges, including diseases and
adverse impact of climate change.
The views were expressed at a regional workshop here today.
The scientists, researchers and extension officials attending the event
urged all the field level officials to discharge their duties with utmost
sincerity and honesty to ensure food security of the nation through boosting
paddy yield.
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and Department of Agriculture
Extension (DAE) jointly organized the workshop styled “Way forward to
Increase Aman Paddy Yield in Rajshahi and Bogra Zones” at training dormitory
of Fruit Research Station.
Chaired by Dr Tomal Lota Aditya, director (Research) of BRRI, the workshop
was addressed, among others, by BRRI Director General Dr Shahjahan Kabir and
additional directors of DAE SM Mustafizur Rahman and Matiar Rahman.
During their keynote presentations, DAE Deputy Directors Joynal Abedeen and
Kamal Uddin gave an overview of Aman paddy production in the region.
Dr Dr Shahjahan Kabir told the meeting that BRRI has, so far, developed 41
Aman varieties including 39 inbreeds which are suitable for cultivation in
the country.
“We have released seven drought tolerant varieties including one aromatic
for the Barind area,” he said adding that some of those have gained
popularity among farmers during the last couple of years.
He also mentioned that the conventional Parija variety is being replaced
by some of the new varieties which is a good sign for the region in terms of
boosting yield.
Dr Kabir said there has been an enormous prospect of bringing harvesting
intensity coupled with increasing food production through a successful
promotion of the developed varieties.
To maintain sound soil health, it could be advisable to grow rice using a
different system in order to improve compatibility between monsoon rice and
upland winter crops.
The newly innovated paddy varieties have opened up a door of enormous
prospects for food security along with mitigating the crises of irrigation
water.
They are giving satisfactory yield with scanty rainfall and limited
irrigation during the Aman season in the area.
This would also go well with a shift in economic importance of the winter
crops over monsoon rice.
He also mentioned large-scale promotion of direct seeded rice (DSR)
farming process can lessen the pressure on groundwater in Barind area in Aman
season.
DSR is the viable option to reduce the unproductive water flows. Water
scarcity, common rice cultivation and increasing labour wages trigger
searching for such alternative crop establishment methods which can increase
water productivity.
More than 150 paddy related scientists, researchers and extension
officials from both government and non-government entities concerned joined
the workshop sharing views on the issue.
BSS/AH/AKM/1340hrs