The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

The first ever high-yielding Aman hybrid developed by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) is to go for cultivation in the next Aman season.

The variety, now in the final stage of its development, is expected to make a significant contribution in further increasing the Aman production leading to ensuring food security in the country.

In an interview with BSS here on Wednesday, Dr Md. Firoze Shah Sikder, Director General of the BRRI, said the BRRI is also developing two more submerged tolerant varieties to bring vast tracts of lands under rice cultivation in the low-lying areas for achieving a total self-sufficiency in food in the country.

"The government has given approval for cultivation of four high-yielding modern varieties developed by the BRRI in 2008," he said. The varieties are: BRRI dhan-48, BRRI dhan-49, BRRI dhan-50 and Hybrid-2.

The BRRI officials said the production rate of BRRI dhan-48, BRRI dhan-50 and Hybrid-2 are 5 tonnes, 6.5 tonnes and 8.50 tonnes respectively per hectare. Besides, the production rate of BRRI dhan-49 is higher by half a tonne than that of BR-11 and one tonne than BRRI-32.

Director (research) of BRRI Dr MA Salam said the BRRI has also developed flood and salinity tolerant varieties to bring fallow lands under rice cultivation along the coastal belt and in the low-lying areas aiming to ensure food security.

The variety of BR-11-sub1 can survive for even 15 days if submerged by flood waters while the BRRI dhan-46 could also be cultivated even after recession of a prolonged flood, he said.

Describing the development of these varieties by the BRRI as a remarkable progress for achieving food security in the country, Dr Salam said, "We will cultivate these two varieties after accomplishing some formalities."

The BRRI has developed a variety named BRRI Boro-47 for cultivation in the coastal area, he said adding that initially the variety would be cultivated in lands with low salinity and then it would be cultivated in lands with high salinity.

Dr Salam said only development of high-yielding modern variety is not enough for achieving food security in the country, rather modern technology is needed for increase of rice production up to the expected level.

Taking this reality into consideration, BRRI has developed a total of 50 technologies for use in soil, water and fertilizer management to boost rice production in the country.

Dr Salam said though Bangladesh is the fourth largest rice producing country of the world, the average production of rice in the country is 4.01 tonnes per hectare.

The average production of rice in China, Japan and Korea is 5 to 6 tonnes per hectare.

There is no alternative to developing high yielding modern varieties as well as modern technology for increasing of production rate in the country to the meet growing demand for food, he added.

The officials said the high-yielding modern varieties developed by the BRRI in 1980s and 1990s are suitable for varying ecosystem and have wide range of diseases and insect resistance.

Such varieties-BR 17, BR 18 and BR 19-have been developed for the Boro areas (depressed basin) in the north-eastern region of Bangladesh, BR 20 and BR 21 for high rainfall upland situation, BR 22 and BR 23 for late transplanting in the Aman season after the recession of flood waters.

Besides, BRRI dhan 27 has been developed for the non-saline tidal areas and BRRI dhan 30, BRRI dhan 31 and BRRI dhan 32 for the rain-fed lowland areas.