Minister
of Agriculture and Chinese Ambassador visit BRAC Hybrid Rice project
The Minister for Agriculture, Mr. M. K.
Anwar, along with the Chinese Ambassador, Mr. Chai Xi, visited
BRAC’s Hybrid rice project in Sreepur in Gazipur on Monday
last. Other officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, its affiliated
organizations and the Chinese Embassy were present during the
visit. The visit was intended to brief the Minister about the
prospects and potentials of hybrid rice in increasing food-grain
production in Bangladesh. The first venue visited was Uzilabo,
Sreepur where the visitors saw Hybrid Rice Seed Production field;
they then visited a Demonstration Plot with experimental new breeds
of hybrid rice in Dhalua, finally visiting the BRAC Seed Processing
Centre at Jainabazar.
Following the visit a discussion session
was held at the BRAC Centre for Development Management (BCDM)
at Rajendrapur. A detailed presentation was made about BRAC’s
agricultural programme with special emphasis on its hybrid rice
seed production initiative in Bangladesh in collaboration with
the China National Hybrid Rice Research & Development Centre
(CNHRRDC). Mr. Quan Yong Ming, Deputy Director of CNHRRDC apprised
the meeting about their support to BRAC in this matter. The Chinese
Ambassador elaborated the successes achieved by his country in
the development of hybrid rice and the numerous gains made by
China in food grain production because of this new technology.
He assured all out support to Bangladesh in this area. The Honourable
Minister thanked BRAC for its valuable work towards achievement
of food security in the country and for organizing his visit to
its hybrid rice seed programme and expressed optimism about the
positive role that hybrid rice seeds can play in attaining food
self-sufficiency in Bangladesh. The Minister urged BRAC to increase
its share of the seed market in Bangladesh in the greater interest
of the country.
Beginning in 1998, BRAC has made
great progress in the field of hybrid rice seed production and
has become the leading producer of Chinese Hybrid Rice in Bangladesh.
BRAC has officially released two hybrid rice breeds in the market,
Aloron (HB8) and Jagoron (GB4), with four new varieties under
the approval process and over forty varieties under trial and
screening. During the Boro season of 2005-2006, BRAC supplied
more than 700 metric tonnes of hybrid rice seeds to the farmers.
Because of this, it has been possible to bring more than 57,000
Hectares of land under hybrid rice cultivation in the country
which is expected to contribute an additional 85,000 Metric Tonnes
of paddy. Additionally, this year, BRAC cultivated 270 hectares
of land with F1 rice seeds through contract growers under its
own management system with a target of 2.0 Metric Tonnes of seed
per hectare. |
