A heartening headway

BANGLADESHI scientists have again made their mark by developing the BRRI dhan 62, a nutrient-rich rice that helps children fight  stunting as well as deaths caused by diarrhoea or pneumonia as this rice contains more zinc than is available in its naturally existing variety. The good news is that yet another version of rice with still higher zinc content developed by Bangladesh Rice Research Institutes (BRRI) scientists will also be released soon.  As expected, this success has earned for the country its due place at the Second Global Conference on Biofortification held recently in Kigali, the Rwandan capital.
The focus of the said conference was to scale up the production of vitamin and mineral rich, i.e., biofortified  crops to fight 'hidden hunger,' another name for  conditions  like anaemia, blindness, stunting, et al. Notably, these are caused by consumption of diets deficient in vitamins and minerals.
Like our zinc-enriched rice, scientists from other countries have developed iron-rich beans, vitamin A-enriched cassava and maize as well as iron and zinc-rich  millet and wheat which are being grown by farmers in Rwanda,  Uganda, Congo, Nigeria, Zambia and India. So, thanks to the talent of our scientists, Bangladesh has been able to contribute significantly towards humanity's endeavour to create a world free from hunger, malnutrition and diseases.
In this context, the government and the media have a role to play in increasing awareness of the public, farmers, in particular, about these agriculture-related innovations.
Hopefully, the government will come forward to enable our local farmers to get the full benefit of the latest advancements in crop research.