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Climate Change Impact

Farmers switch to cereals from paddy in Barind

BSS, Rajshahi
Farmers are switching from cultivation of paddy to less irrigation-dependent cereals in the wake of adverse impact of climate change in the vast Barind tract.
According to the agriculture officials and scientists, farmers have reduced the cultivation of irrigationdependent crop especially Irri-Boro paddy in the drought-prone Barind tract, known as the country's food storage.
On the other hand, farming of various crops like wheat, maize, chickpea and black gram is gradually increasing in the area.
Agriculturist Abu Muhammmad Musa said around 3,500 litres of water for irrigation is needed to grow one kilogramme of paddy. Whereas, less than 1,000 litres of water is required for the drought-tolerant plants.
He advised development and dissemination of appropriate farm machineries like power tiller operated seeders, strip till and zero till, bed planter, reaper and thresher to enhance especially the production of wheat.
Dr Israil Hossain, principal scientific officer of Regional Wheat Research Station, said irrigation has been reduced to a greater extent in Barind resulting in adecline in Aman farming.
To address the problem, the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has taken an initiative to launch two drought-tolerant paddy varieties BRRIDHAN- 56 and BRRIDHAN-57.
Saleh Ahmed, Paba Upazila agriculture officer, said life span of BRRIDHAN-57, a short duration and drought tolerant variety, is 10 days less than that of BINADHAN-7, an early and high yielding variety, while 15 days less than BRIDHAN-33.
After a long research, the regional station of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has developed the two varieties for the farmers of the drought- prone areas of the region.
Despite scanty rainfall, these varieties will give a satisfactory yield without any irrigation during the rain-fed transplanted Aman season in the drought-prone area.
Saleh also mentioned that average yield of the BRRIDHAN-56 is 4.03 tonnes per hectare, while it is 3.74 tonnes for the BRRIDHAN-57 variety.
Nurul Amin, deputy director of DAE, Rajshahi, hoped that the varieties would bring a positive result for around 2 million hectares of land in the rain-fed drought prone area.
He further said the agriculture system in the
drought-prone Barind tract has started facing problems due to multifarious reasons including the adverse impact of climate change.
So, there is no way but to adopt modern technologies to save farming in order to ensure food security.