Bangladesh created 93 water-saving rice varieties

Bangladesh agricultural scientists bred 93 new varieties of rice that could save 33-50%

Scientists are measuring the amount of water that rice fields use.(Photo: Daily Star)

amount of water during cultivation. This is a common achievement of experts from the Rural Development Institute (RDA) (Bogra, Bangladesh) and Bangladesh Rice Research Institute.

This project is called " Development and dissemination of water-saving rice technology in South Asia " supported by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). RDA Director General Mohammad Ferdous Alam hopes that new rice varieties not only use less water but also save more energy and electricity once put into cultivation.

Among these 93 new rice varieties, some can be harvested in only 120-130 days compared to 150 days for conventional rice varieties.

Mr. AKM Zakaria, project coordinator and deputy director of RDA, said that now to produce 1 kg of rice requires 5 tons of water (5 times higher than India) and Bangladesh will face with the water crisis in the next few years if still using water at the current level.

H.THE