The Hindu Business Line : Bangladesh shows way to grow rice sans insecticide use

IN a heartening development that has far-reaching implications for the Asian rice economy, about 2,000 resource-poor Bangladeshi farmers growing paddy have been trained to raise the crop sans use of insecticides and with reduced application of nitrogen fertiliser, but without lowering the yield in anyway.

Taken up at the initiative of Manila-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the unique experiment has brought financial benefits to paddy growers as they have saved money on inputs such as insecticides and fertilisers.

Importantly, the success of the experiment is expected to set off a chain reaction. IRRI said 4,000 more farmers are currently training.

Paddy is an important field crop for Bangladesh as the majority of the population eats rice. The landholding is fragmented. Rice production is in the 24-26 million tonnes range.

Following its success, the experiment is being replicated within the country on a much larger scale. Close to 12 million farmers are engaged in paddy cultivation. Because of indigenous output trails demand, the country is forced to resort to imports at an enormous cost to the exchequer.

From 3 lakh tonnes in 2002, Bangladesh's rice imports jumped to 11 l.t. in 2003. For 2004 and 2005, projected imports are 5 l.t. each year.

More important, lower production cost without any compromise on yields means higher farm income for growers and improved living standard.

Not only financial gain, the experiment is bound to deliver ecological benefits too.

More Stories on : Rice | Pesticides | Cultivation

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