Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque on Monday said that wheat production in Bangladesh will get a boost if farmers lean toward cultivating disease-resistant wheat variants.
He made the remarks at a views-exchange meeting after visiting wheat research fields of Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute (BWMRI).
He at the meeting said that the demand of wheat is gradually increasing in the country. But as the weather of Bangladesh is not totally suitable for wheat production, a big portion of wheat is imported.
Many variants of wheat were popularised earlier but those variants were not immune against diseases like blast. Newly invented BARI Wheat-33 is immune to such diseases.
“The new variants of wheat have more production rate. Thus, a major portion of the farmlands in country can be used for wheat cultivation”, he added.
Whip Iqbalur Rahim, Senior Secretary of Agriculture Ministry Mesbahul Islam, Director General of Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute Israil Hossain, BADC chairman Dr Amitav Sarker, Bangladesh Suger and Food Industries Corporation Arifur Rahman Apu, BRRI Director General Dr Shahjahan Kabir, BARI Director General Nazirul Islam and others were present at the meeting.
BWMRI officials stated that BARI wheat-33, WMRI Wheat-2, WMRI Wheat-3 are blast-resistant variants of wheat. BARI Wheat-33 is immune to several diseases which usually infect crops at the south-western region of the country. The production rate of this variant is 4.6-5 tonnes per hector.
WMRI Wheat-2 variant can withstand heat waves of this region, thus yield in summer season can be achieved. The production rate of this variant is 4-4.5 tonnes per hector.
Blast disease first hit Bangladesh in 2016. It can reduce yield up to 30 pc, experts said.
Minister Abdur Razzaque later inaugurated ‘Bangabandhu Corner’ at Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute. He then also inaugurated ‘Agriculture Technology Fair-2021’ on the institute premise.
Ship Kqbalur Rahim as the special guest said Dinajpur has the soil capacity to grow many variant of crops. Agro based industries can turn the fate of this district.
