BRRI dhan87, a fine-grained rice developed by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), is giving higher yields in less time, and farmers in Sharsha, Jashore, are keen to grow it. Interest in Swarna is falling.
Faster and easier to sell
Farmers say BRRI dhan87 yields 27 to 30 maunds per 33 decimals. Swarna takes 145 days, while fine-grained BRRI dhan87 Aman takes 127 days and can be cut 15 days earlier. Traders show little interest in coarse Swarna and Guti Swarna, but wholesalers, husking mill owners and traders buy the fine BRRI dhan87 eagerly.
The variety yields well even on high land. Planned carefully, it can be harvested in time to grow mustard, lentil, chickpea and other pulses, and Boro can follow after the mustard.
Demonstrations and guidance
According to the upazila agriculture office, 30 farmers in 11 unions grew the improved fine rice on 30 bighas on the office's advice and succeeded. BRRI has been spreading BRRI dhan87 through farmers in different regions since 2016.
According to BRRI, it should be planted between 1 and 21 Asharh with 25-30-day seedlings, two or three per hill, at 15 cm spacing. It can be planted after 21 Asharh, but then there is no time for both mustard and Boro. Per bigha, fertiliser should be 24 kg urea, 11 kg TSP, 13 kg MoP, 9 kg gypsum and 1.6 kg zinc sulphate, adjusted by region, with irrigation as needed until the grain hardens.
Sharsha upazila agriculture officer Soutam Kumar Shil said BRRI dhan87 suffers much less disease and pest attack than conventional varieties, and farmers should contact the agriculture office if problems arise.
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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