Dhaka, Bangladesh
September 20, 2007
BusinessMirror
via SEAMEO SEARCA
A new strain
of rice may be able to resist floods that destroy vast tracts of
paddy fields in Bangladesh each year, offering hope to millions
of poor farmers, researchers say.
The farmers lose their rice crops when fields are submerged by
annual floods triggered when rivers, fed by heavy monsoon rains
and melting Himalayan glaciers, burst their banks.
The rice type, called Swarna Submergence 1, developed by
the Manila-based International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI), proved to be flood-resistant
in trials this year in northern Bangladesh, researchers said.
Normal rice varieties cannot survive being submerged by flood
water for more than three days, resulting in huge losses for
farmers.
But "last month when the floodwater receded from two farms in
which Swarna Sub-1 was planted, we saw the rice paddy 'stand up'
again. [This was] 10 days after it was completely submerged,"
said senior researcher Abdul Mazid.
"It was simply amazing. It means the variety has [proven to be]
flood-resistant. It could be a huge step towards helping
millions of rice farmers who are made paupers by floods," said
Mr. Mazid of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI).
Low-lying Bangladesh, crisscrossed by 230 rivers, experiences
flooding every year. Experts say the floods are one of the main
reasons why 40% of the country's 140 million population live in
dire poverty.
Rice production accounts for 14% of Bangladesh's gross domestic
product. Two-thirds of Bangladesh's 144 million population —
directly or indirectly — derives their living from rice farming.
"If the flood water stays two to three days, it is a blessing.
It nourishes the soils. But if it stays longer, it destroys the
crops," said IRRI liaison scientist Hamid Mia.
This year alone rice worth $290 million was damaged in one of
the worst floods in nearly a decade in July, according to
preliminary estimates.
The government said the losses would climb following a second
spell of flooding in early September that has submerged more
than a third of the country.
Swarna Sub-1 was invented in 2004 after IRRI researchers
implanted a submergence-resistant gene in a massively popular
high-yielding Indian rice variety through conventional breeding.
"The idea was to give the farmers a variety that can survive
flood water for 10 to 17 days while at the same time ensuring
them a more than average yield," Mr. Mia said.
With support from Swiss charity Inter Corp., BRRI distributed
seeds and seedlings of the rice variety to 114 farmers across
nine districts in the country.
"The field tests have so far yielded very good results. The
farmers are excited and want more seeds and seedlings," Mr.
Mazid said.
"Next year, we will quadruple the number of testing farms. And
hopefully, by 2009-2010, we can start commercial production of
the flood-resistant rice," he added.
More news
from the
International Rice
Research Institute |
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