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Cultivation of a new variety of Aman (BRRI-33), developed by the local scientists, could help solve the Monga problem in the northern region as this crop grows quickly, reports BSS.
The experts recommended that farmers could face the Monga challenge by planting BRRI-33 Aman that needs 100 days for harvesting.
BRRI-33 harvesting period is at least 45 days ahead of the harvesting time of the traditional Amans.
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and Rangpur-Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS) jointly conducted the research on BRRI-33 and at several farmers' lands in Rangpur and Thakurgaon districts.
RDRS Agriculture Coordinator MG Neogi told the news agency Tuesday that the research was carried out for the last two years and finally, the researchers successfully harvested the BRRI-33 which grew in 100 days.
"This year 415 farmers have been trained on the new harvesting techniques and among them 38 farmers have successfully harvested BRRI-33 on trial basis", he said.
Usually the farmers of the northern region harvest several varieties of paddy during Aman season including, the traditional one BR-11 and Sharna, which grow between 145- 170 days.
A comparative study on BR-11 and BRRI-33 revealed that if both the Aman varieties are planted on July 1 then the harvest time would be November 23 for BR-11 and October 9 for BRRI-33.
Therefore, after harvesting the BRRI-33, the farmers will get enough time to cultivate pre-winter vegetables like potato and Rabi crops for ensuring their employment during Monga season.
Compared to estimated production cost and the price of rice, the research found that farmers could profit by about Tk 3,485 more per hector by cultivating BRRI-33 than any other traditional Aman.
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