Cultivation of flood-tolerant rice becomes popular

Cultivation of flood tolerant rice varieties has become popular in flood-prone areas throughout the country to enhance rice production despite climate change impacts in recent years to ensure food security.
After series of bumper productions over the past four years, the farmers are showing more interests in expanding cultivation of flood-tolerant rice varieties ushering in a new era in the agriculture sector to attain sustainable national food security.
According to the concerned experts, the farmers have been continuing transplantation seedlings of the flood-tolerant variety BRRI dhan51, BRRI dhan52, BINA 11, and BINA 12 rice now and after getting 4.5 to 5 tonnes paddy yield per hectare last season.
The Stress Tolerant Rice for Poor Farmers in Africa & South Asia (STRASA) Project has been expanding cultivation of flood tolerant and other stress tolerant rice varieties by implementing seed multiplication programme with funding of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) through International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Bangladesh.
Under the programme, different government, non-government and private organisations have distributed 1.087 lakh tonne seeds of flood tolerant BRRI dhan51, BRRI dhan52, BINA dhan11 and BINA dhan12 rice varieties among farmers to cover 43.48 lakh hectares land under STRASA-IRRI Project in Bangladesh during this Aman season.
Horticulture Specialist of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam said cultivation of flood-tolerant rice varieties has become popular following successful seed multiplication though GO-NGO collaboration.
Agriculture and Environment Coordinator of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid said the flood-tolerant rice seed multiplication programme has become effective through comprehensive GO-NGO-Private sector collaboration to increase rice production.
Talking to BSS, Project Scientist (Country Manager) of STRASA-IRRI project in Bangladesh Dr MA Bari said the seed multiplication project is being implemented in collaboration with different government, non-government and private organisations.
The DAE, Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), ACI Limited, Lal Teer Seeds and different seed producers’ associations have distributed seeds of flood- tolerant rice varieties among the farmers during this Aman season.
Besides, tens of hundreds more farmers have been cultivating flood-tolerant rice varieties using their own seeds produced during the last season under the programme in the stress prone areas in the country, he added.
Rangpur Regional Additional Director of the DAE Kamal Kumar Sarker said cultivation of flood-tolerant rice has become popular among the farmers to increase rice production for attaining food security under adverse climate.
Talking to BSS, farmers Abdur Rahman and Jaladhar Barman of Kurigram, Chand Mian and Mohafell Hossain of Rangpur said they got excellent yield of these flood-tolerant rice varieties despite submergence under floodwaters for 16 days at a stretch last year.
Farmers Shyamol of Gaibandha, Abidur Rahman of Nilphamari, Beauty Begum and Mokarram Hossain of Kurigram said their BRRI dhan 51 and 52 rice plants sustained submergence for 14-17 days to yield 4.6 tonnes to 5.2 tonnes paddy per hectare last season.