RANGPUR: Experts at a farmers’ field day programme have stressed expanded cultivation and optimum consumption of zinc-enriched rice to prevent deficiency of zinc, iron and vitamin-A of women and children and increase disease resistant capacity, reports BSS.
The observation came at the function organised by RDRS Bangladesh, a non-government organisation, for harvesting BRRI dhan72 in the field of farmer Gopal Chandra Roy at Baniyapara village in Taraganj upazila on Monday afternoon.
The NGO has been expanding technologies for farming, seed production, processing and storing of high zinc-enriched BRRI dhan62 and BRRI dhan72 varieties as a local implementation partner of The HarvestPlus Challenge programme since 2013.
Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension SM Ashraf Ali attended the occasion as the chief guest with chairman of Hariarkuthi Union Federation Anisul Haque in the chair.
Principal scientific officer at Rangpur regional station of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Dr Abu Bakar Siddik Sarker, Taraganj Upazila Agriculture Officer Rezaul Karim and Agricultural Research and Development Officer of HarvestPlus Bangladesh Ruhul Amin Mandal attended the programme as special guests.
More than 300 male and female farmers participated in the field day to witness harvesting of BRRI dhan72 and acquire knowledge on its cultivation technologies, agronomical managements and benefits.
Agriculture and environment coordinator of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid discussed cultivation technologies, importance of enhancing cultivation, benefits and optimum consumption of zinc-enriched rice for meeting nutritional demand of people.
“Fifty farmers have set up exhibition plots of high yielding variety zinc-enriched BRRI dhan72 on one bigha land each with assistance of RDRS Bangladesh in different districts under Rangpur division during this Aman season,” he said.
Mamun said, “Each kilogram of this zinc-enriched rice contains 22.8 milligram of zinc, consumption of which can meet micro-nutritional demands of the children, women and people of all ages for building a healthier nation.”
He called upon the farmers for enhancing cultivation of zinc-enriched BRRI dhan72 along with other zinc-enriched rice varieties to supplement zinc deficiency of the population and increase rice production to attain sustainable food security.