A diabetic-friendly special rice variety has been produced in Chitalmari upazila of Bagerhat district, ushering in a new hope for many such patients in the country.
Farmer Bidhan Chandra Biswas of Barobak village under Shibpur Union cultivated the new rice variety, BRRI dhan-105, on his land for the first time.
According to Upazila Agriculture Office, the rice variety was cultivated on 33 decimals of land in Chitalmari upazila for the first time on experimental basis. Farmer Bidhan Chandra in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture Extension, Chitalmari successfully produced BRRI dhan-105 on his land under the supervision of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Gopalganj scientists Srijan Chandra Das and Dr Mohammad Zahidul Islam.
Chitalmari Upazila Agriculture Officer Sifat-Al-Maruf said the BRRI dhan-105 has a Glycemic Index (GI) value of 55. The GI ranks food on a scale from 0 to 100. The scores indicate the effect of the food on blood sugar levels (The less the score, the lower the effect).
With an almost low value GI, BRRI dhan-105 can help keep blood sugar level low amongst a large number of diabetes patients in the country. The rice variety is suitable for diabetes patients due to its low GI value, the agriculture officer said.
After sample harvest, it has been found that 14.9-kg rice (raw) has been produced on 20 square metres of land and its dry weight is around 13.16 kgs. It means that the yield is 6.58 metric tons per hectare.
Farmer Bidhan Chandra said he cultivated the rice variety sincerely after getting new paddy seeds. He got important advice from the Upazila Agriculture Office.