Paddy with shrimp cultivation
BRRI's new salt tolerant paddy yields encouraging result in coastal area
A salt tolerant Boro paddy, evolved by Satkhira regional office of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), has opened up a new horizon for farmers in coastal region. They can also grow rice in shrimp enclosures.
The new BRRI Dhan-47, evolved after six year's research, was released for farmers last year. This year, about three tonnes of seeds were distributed among 240 farmers in Debhata, Kaliganj, Assassuni, Shyamnagar, Tala and Sadar upazilas in Satkhira; 50 Sidre affected farmers in Morelganj and Sharankhola upazilas in Bagerhat and 10 farmers each in Paikgachha and Koira upazilas of Khulna for free, he said.
The paddy was sown in about 150 hectares in saline water of shrimp enclosures in Satkhira and Khulna coastal belt, which were earlier used only for shrimp cultivation.
The yield was 6 to 7 tonnes per hectare.
BRRI Director Abdus Salam led the scientists' team which evolved the paddy, which can also be cultivated in sweet water belt.
“Salt tolerance of the new variety is about 6 to 7 ds (deci-scimen). It can be grown in areas where salinity will not exceed 6 to 7 ds (deci-scimen)”, said BRRI Senior Scientific Officer Dr Tahmid Hossain Ansari.
BADC has also collected the seed for multiplication.
The yield is very encouraging and we hope the paddy will greatly benefit coastal farmers who were hitherto compelled to go for shrimp cultivation, said Guru Pada Karmakar, acting deputy director of Satkhira Agriculture Extension Department (AED).
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