Agriculture experts have stressed for enhanced cultivation of zinc-enriched rice to prevent deficiency of vital micro-nutrients like zinc, iron and vitamin-A of the children to ensure their normal growth and increase disease resistant capacity.
They were addressing a farmers’ training course organised here by RDRS Bangladesh on Sunday with assistance of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) on “Seeds production, processing and storing of high zinc BRRI dhan64 rice” at its Training Centre.
The NGO has been expanding the technology for farming, seeds production, processing and storing of high zinc-enriched rice in four northern districts as a local implementing partner of The HarvestPlus Challenge Programme. The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) have been coordinating the technology dissemination process for enshrining quality seed production, processing and storing of high zinc rice. Agriculture and Environment Coordinator of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid presided over the training course participated by 25 male and female farmers of Mithapukur upazila in Rangpur district.The NGO arranged the course as a part of providing the same training to a total of 200 farmers for setting up of 200 exhibition plots of zinc-enriched rice on 200 bigha lands in Rangpur, Nilphamari, Dinajpur and Gaibandha districts during the current Boro season.Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur Zulfiquer Haider attended the training course as the chief guest and put special emphasis on enhancing cultivation of the zinc-enriched BRRI dhan64 that yields 6.5 to 7 tonnes paddy per hectare.
Principal Scientific Officer of Rangpur Regional Station of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) Dr Shahidul Islam, Mithapukur Upazila Agriculture Officer Khorshed Alam and Agricultural Research and Development Officer of HarvestPlus Bangladesh Ruhul Amin Mandal addressed as the special guests.Sub-assistant Agriculture Officer Parimal Chandra Sarker, Assistant Coordinator (Agriculture) of RDRS Bangladesh Syeda Nuhera Begum, its Agriculture Officer Shamim Ahmed and Administrative Assistant Kamal Krishna Roy also spoke.The experts said many people in developing countries like Bangladesh depend on rice for meeting majority of their vitamin and mineral requirements though common rice does not contain enough micro-nutrients required for leading healthy and productive life. Terming zinc, iron and vitamin-A as the three most vital micro-nutrients, they said deficiency of these micro-nutrients seriously hampers natural growth of the children and decrease their disease prevention capacity.The chief guest suggested for expanded cultivation of zinc-enriched BRRI dhan64 rice for supplementation of zinc deficiency of the poor and vulnerable people, including children and pregnant women, side by side attaining national food security. -BSS, Rangpur
