Secretary: Stress tolerant rice brought revolutionary change in food production

Newly innovated stress-tolerant and high-yielding variety of rice developed by Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) would make country’s food security sustainable and also bring revolutionary change in food production in future.

Senior Agriculture Secretary M Mesbahul Islam said this in a view exchange meeting after visiting different nutrient-enriched paddy plots including BRRI innovated heat-tolerant paddy, Basmati, and hybrid paddy at BRRI training complex auditorium in Gazipur on Monday.

“Now we have to yield much paddy on comparatively less amount of land and that’s why stress-tolerant and high-yielding variety rice must be given preference,” said the secretary.

The farmers have brought about a change in the farming system they are very much interested to produce high-value crops.

The overall yield for fine and aromatic rice varieties now have been increased significantly from the previous level as now per hectare yield of aromatic rice rose to five to six tonnes from the earlier level of two to three tonnes, which is truly hopeful, he said, adding that even people are preferring fine quality rice for their own consumption.

Later, the secretary visited different research plots of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) and exchange views with the officials.

BRRI Director General Dr M Shahjahan Kabir, Additional Secretary of the Agriculture Ministry Waheda Akhter, Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) Dr Sheikh Mohammad Bakhtiar, Director General of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) M Asadullah, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) Director General Dr M Nazirul Islam, National Agriculture Training Academy’s Director General Dr M Akhtaruzzaman and other divisional heads were also present during the visit.