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Better rice seed can yield production revolution

Hasibur Rahman Bilu, Bogra
Over 8.93 million tonnes of additional Boro and Aman paddy production worth Tk 13,395 crore can be achieved every year if a slightly-tweaked traditional seed processing technology is used across the country.
Ilie technology may also save more than Tk 55.39 crore a year by not importing seeds
from abroad to cultivate Boro and Aman on 1,10,77,560 hectares of land.
Rural Development Academy (RDA) in Bogra in a special research project titled "Good Seeds Initiative-1", funded by Swish Development Company (SDC), showed videos about this technology to farmers in 10 villages and reached this conclusion.
The villages were of
Naogaon, Bogra and Sirajganj.
AKM Zakaria, joint director of RDA and coordinator of the project, said the two year project was completed last year in cooperation with CAB1-Bioscience, UK.
According to the food ministry, more than 44,3,102 tonnes of good quality seeds are needed every year to pro duce 27.94 million tonnes ot Boro and Aman. The research
report says that only 22,155 tonnes can meet the total requirement of seeds and save Tk 55.39 crore using the tweaked traditional seed processing technology, said Zakaria.
"Rice Self Sufficiency Index (RSSI) shows that the traditional seed processing method can ensure cent percent food security in the country,” said Zakaria.
"It was learnt that the video on traditional seed processing technology showed to the farmers of the 10 villages increased Boro and Aman production of 100 farmers and ensured food security," he added.
Farmer Noor-Ul-Islam, 54, of Kanupur in Sherpur upazila in Bogra, said he produced 7.20 tonnes of Boro per hectare after following the procedures shown in the video.
He used to get only 4.50 tonnes per hectare before. "The tweaked traditional seed processing technology ensured food security in my family," he said.
Mohammed S a n t u Khandker, 28, of Sharborampur in Raninagar
upazila in Naogaon, said he grew 11.40 tonnes Boro on one hectare of land I Ie used to get 7.50 tonnes before he switched to traditional seed processing technology.
Another farmer Shahajan Ali, 48, of Garhmohastan under Shibganj upazila in Bogra said he got 4.50 tonnes of Aman per hectare following the newly introduced seed processing method. He used to get 1.50 tonnes less before.
The research report says that in the 10 villages farmers would use 62.44kg of seeds to cultivate one hectare of land. Now they can do that using just 27.71kg
They used to harvest 3,184kg Aman per hectare on an average. Now they achieve 3,934kg per hectare. The production of Boro increased by 861kg per hectare on an average.
According to FAO calculation of food security, the people of the 10 villages scored 147.24 on an average before they had watched the video on tweaked traditional seed processing technology. Afterwards their average score went up to 294.54, said Zakaria.