Blast-affected BRRI dhan28 will be removed from the fields quickly, Agriculture Minister Md Abdur Razzaque has said, adding that farmers are being discouraged from growing the variety any more. The minister said this at a press briefing on boro paddy at the Secretariat on Sunday (30 April).
"Among the newer varieties, BRRI dhan28 is popular in Bangladesh. The grain is fine, the yield is good and it ripens early. But every variety loses its qualities when grown for a long time, and loses its ability to resist various diseases and pests. BRRI dhan28 is such a good paddy, but it has lost its resistance to blast disease. Farmers are suffering losses in many places. We want to take BRRI dhan28 out of the fields very quickly. We are discouraging farmers from growing it and asking them to grow other varieties," he said.
New varieties to be expanded
The agriculture minister said BINA-89 and 92, Bangabandhu-100 and BINA dhan25 were doing well in various parts of the country. "These varieties need to be expanded quickly and reach farmers. BINA dhan25 has such fine grain, and it has produced so much this time that it seems unusual. This paddy will bring a revolution this time. It has been given out in most districts," he said.
"It amazes many people in the world how a small country produces food for so many people on its own. We are working on every crop: mustard, groundnut, maize," he said.
Claiming that prices of fruit, vegetables and other products did not rise abnormally during Ramadan this year, the minister said: "Watermelon prices were comparatively low this time, though demand for watermelon was huge in the unusual heat. By the grace of Allah, production was plentiful."
"We are able to meet the food needs of almost everyone. We dream, and this government has taken it as a challenge, that in the days ahead we will feed the whole nation nutritious food. We are working towards that goal," Abdur Razzaque said. Agriculture Secretary Wahida Akter and other ministry officials were present.
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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