Dhaka   Saturday
10 May 2025

Eco-Paddy: A Winning Formula

Md Faijul Alam Siddik

Published: 17:08, 24 April 2025

Eco-Paddy: A Winning Formula

 

The Entomology Division of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has achieved significant success in managing rice pests in an environmentally friendly manner using eco-engineering technology.

This method eliminates the need for pesticides in rice production, reduces costs, increases yields, protects the environment, and ensures the produced food is completely safe.

To test this technology at the field level, BRRI-105, also known as diabetes rice, was cultivated on 10 bighas of land in three upazilas of Jashore and Narail during the 2024-25 fiscal year.

Out of this, 5 bighas were cultivated using eco-engineering technology, while the adjacent 5 bighas were cultivated by farmers using their usual methods.

The field-level trial was implemented with technical assistance from BRRI by the non-governmental organizations Solidaridad and Jagoroni Chakra Foundation. Raihanul Islam Chowdhury, Program Officer of Solidaridad, stated that no pesticides were used on the 5 bighas of land cultivated with eco-engineering technology. Cosmos, marigold, and sunflower plants were planted on the bunds of these plots. These plants attracted beneficial insects, which helped control harmful pests in the rice fields.

On the other hand, the remaining 5 bighas were cultivated by farmers using conventional methods, including pesticides.

Raihanul Islam Chowdhury said, "To understand the results of this trial, a field day was organized yesterday (Tuesday), and sample crops were harvested from these plots. It was observed that the 5 bighas cultivated with eco-engineering technology yielded 26 maunds of paddy per bigha. In contrast, the 5 bighas cultivated by farmers using their preferred methods yielded 25 maunds of paddy per bigha."

He added, "Although there wasn't a significant difference in the quantity of rice produced, the cost of production per bigha was reduced by approximately Tk 1,500 due to the absence of pesticides. This cultivation process is completely environment-friendly, and the produced food is entirely safe." Furthermore, he mentioned that the beneficial insects sheltered in the cosmos, marigold, and sunflower plants on the rice bunds would also benefit the subsequent crops in those fields.

Zulfiqar Ali, a farmer from Gangulia village in Rohita Union of Monirampur Upazila, cultivated BARI-105 paddy on 16.5 decimals of land using the eco-engineering method. He cultivated the same variety on another adjacent 16.5 decimals using conventional methods with pesticides. He was very pleased with the results and said, "I unnecessarily increased costs by using pesticides. I got more paddy in the adjacent field without pesticides." He believes that eco-engineering technology in agriculture will reduce production costs and increase profits for farmers.

Dr. Mosaddek Hossain, Chief Scientific Officer of the Entomology Division at BRRI, said that the indiscriminate use of pesticides not only increases the cost of rice production but also makes the food unsafe. He advised farmers to adopt the eco-engineering method of rice cultivation to overcome this.

Mohammad Iftekhar Uddin Jitu, Senior Scientific Officer at BRRI Khulna, emphasized the need to encourage farmers to adopt new technologies for safe crop production at a lower cost instead of traditional methods. He also stressed the importance of creating local seed entrepreneurs for the production of high-yielding variety (Ufshi) seeds. He stated that cultivating Ufshi rice varieties using environment-friendly methods at a lower cost will benefit both farmers and consumers by providing safe food.

Those interested in becoming foreign, district, and university representatives for Agri24.tv are requested to send their CVs and news to agri24.tv@gmail.com