RANGPUR: Experts at a farmers’ field day have laid emphasis on enhancing cultivation and consumption of high zinc-enriched BRRI dhan74 rice to meet nutrition and increase disease resistant capacities of the common people, reports BSS.They came up with the opinion at the event organised by RDRS Bangladesh, an NGO, to harvest zinc enriched BRRI dhan74 rice in village Sarkerpara under Sadar upazila in Nilphamari district on Wednesday afternoon.The NGO has been expanding farming technology of zinc-enriched BRRI dhan74 rice with assistance of its Agriculture and Environment Unit under technical and financial cooperation of The HarvestPlus Challenge Programme. Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) for Nilphamari Md Idris Ali attended the event as the chief guest with Chairman of local Polashbari union Mamtaz Ali Pramanik in the chair.
Assistant Deputy Director of the DAE for Nilphamari Md Keramat Ali, Sub-assistant Agriculture Officer Prafulla Kumar Roy and Project Coordinator of School Feeding Programme of RDRS Bangladesh Anondo Kumar Paul also spoke.Md Keramat Ali discussed on cultivation technologies, importance of enhancing cultivation, benefits and necessity for consumption of zinc-enriched BRI dhan74 rice to meet nourishment of the common people. “Optimum consumption of zinc-enriched rice is crucial for increasing disease resistant capacity, normal growth and flourishing talent of children, reducing risks of water borne diseases, malaria and pneumonia, maternal and neonatal deaths,” he said. Prafulla Kumar Roy called upon the farmers for enhancing cultivation and optimum consumption of the zinc-enriched BRRI dhan74 that yields 7 to 8 tonnes of paddy per hectare.
“Each kilogram of BRRI dhan74 rice contains 24.2 milligram zinc,” he said and suggested the people for consumption of the rice to overcome deficiency of micro-nutrients like zinc, iron and vitamin-A.