Editorial
IRRI's positive role felicitated
More research and investment needed to meet challenges in food sector
WITH the help of the Philippine-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), scientists of Bangladesh Rice research Institute (BRRI) have developed new varieties of high yielding and stress-tolerant rice. While appreciating such contribution of IRRI since its inception 50 years ago to Bangladesh's endeavour at attaining self-sufficiency in food production, prime minister Sheikh Hasina asked it to continue with its support so that Bangladesh can also produce salinity-resistant High Yielding Variety of Rice (HYV). However, the Director general of IRRI, who is now on a visit to Bangladesh, has coincidentally disclosed that his scientists have already developed two varieties of rice, one of which can resist both salinity and submergence, while the other that can resist submergence and drought. Or in other words, these varieties of rice are able to resist the climate change-induced conditions, which are emerging as the biggest challenge before Bangladesh's agriculture.
We commend the scientists of IRRI for their great contribution towards revolutionising our crop production, especially of rice, which supplies 80 per cent of the population's calorie need.
The good news is that scientists at BRRI, with IRRI's support, have meanwhile developed two new varieties of rice (BR-51 and BR-52) which can survive with their yields unaffected even when submerged by flood.
What is further reassuring to know is that the scientists at IRRI are working to develop another variety of rice that will have all the three traits, that is, the capability to fight salinity, submergence and drought all together. We hope, like before, scientists will succeed in their latest enterprise, too, and help counties like Bangladesh to face the challenges in their crop production posed by climate change.
These are certainly pieces of information that embolden us to meet the goal of attaining self-sufficiency in food by 2013.
However, the efforts of our scientists and farmers will not end with meeting 2013's goal of food self-sufficiency. For apart from climate change, population, another problem that is also staring Bangladesh in the face, will cross the 180 million mark by 2025. To feed these extra millions, we will have to increase rice production manifold.
But to make that endeavour a success, the government as well as private investors will have to invest in agricultural research in a big way to draw a greater a number of young researchers in this field.
This calls for the agricultural scientists and the farmers to work in close cooperation to develop and adapt newer high yielding varieties of rice that will help meet Bangladesh's future challenges in maintaining self-sufficiency in food.
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