& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Drought-tolerant rice to go for a try-out

Sohel Parvez
The government for the first time will trial an African drought-tolerant rice variety — Nerica — on farmers' fields in an effort to bring more upland areas under rice cultivation and boost production.
Initially, the seed variety is being given to farmers for cultivation during the current season of Aus, a summer crop, said Md Abdul Latif, director general of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) yesterday.
Under the scheme, DAE has started distributing the seeds of Nerica to small farmers for sowing on 18,500 acres of land, he said.
Some 450 tonnes of seeds will be distributed among farmers in 30 districts, said Latif.
Other high yielding seeds are also being given to farmers to motivate them to allocate more lands under cultivation during the Aus season, he added.
"We hope this variety will give higher yield in upland areas as the variety can grow with a little water," said Latif.
But farmers will have to take the hassle of clearing weeds to cultivate Nerica, he said.
Brought from Uganda in 2009, the rice seed variety underwent adaptive trials in selective fields under Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), a state-run seed producer and distributor.
Nerica has the strength to withstand drought up to 21 days and matures in 100 days in all crop seasons -- Aus, Aman and Boro, said Md Nuruzzaman, member director of seed and horticulture ofBADC.
The results came from the adaptive trials on some selective fields, he added.
Nerica rice can be grown in all crop seasons and can give up to 4.5-6.5 tonnes of yield per hectare.
Highest yield has been recorded during Boro season at 6-6.5 tonnes and lowest at 4.5-5 tonnes in Aus season, he said, referring to the trials.
The seed variety is yet to get released officially.
But Anwar Faruque, director general of seed wing of the agriculture ministry, said the seed will be given to farmers to test its performance at growers' fields.
The scheme to distribute Nerica along with other high-yielding variety seeds comes in line with a government endeavour to rejuvenate the cultivation of the once second biggest crop, Aus.
Faruque hoped the seed might become popular for cultivation during the Aus season.
Because of its higher yielding capacity than other varieties, potential for Nerica to become popular during the Aus season looks bright, said Faruque.
Nerica can also be an option for farmers after floods because of its capacity to mature in shorter duration than other varieties, he said.
Developed by scientists ofWest Africa Rice Development Association, Nerica is a cross between an African variety and a high-yielding Asian one.
The seed features resistance to drought and pests, higher yields even with a little irrigation or fertiliser, and more protein content.