To give farmers an idea about high-yielding rice varieties, a 'Rice Garden' has been set up in Dinajpur by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) regional office. The main goal of this initiative is to help farmers select the right variety by displaying different rice varieties together at the field level.
This garden has been set up for the first time in Kaugaon area of Sadar Upazila with the aim of increasing rice production, expanding modern varieties and demonstrating technology to farmers. This garden has opened new possibilities in popularizing agricultural research and technology.
54 rice varieties developed by BRI for the 2025-26 season have been planted side by side in the Rice Garden, so that farmers can easily observe the differences in plant growth, height, grain structure, disease and pest tolerance, yield potential and quality characteristics of different varieties. As a result, it is becoming easier for farmers to select improved rice varieties suitable for the local environment.
Project Director of the ‘Place-based Rice Varieties and Technology Innovation and Existing Laboratory Development (LSTD) through the establishment of 6 new regional offices’ project, Dr. Md. Anwar Hossain said that as part of a far-reaching plan, similar rice gardens have been established in about 15 technology villages in different districts of the country. Its main objective is to easily reach farmers with improved and high-yielding rice varieties and modern agricultural technologies. To create a practical idea about different varieties at the field level and to encourage farmers to cultivate improved rice.
Since this is the first such initiative in the Dinajpur region, there has been a lot of interest among local farmers. Every day, many farmers, agriculture-related people and interested visitors visit the rice garden and get a first-hand idea about different varieties.
Farmer Md. Abdul Alim of Kaugaon village said, ‘I have never seen such a rice garden before. Through this, I am getting a direct idea about different varieties. After visiting the rice garden, I have decided which rice variety I will cultivate in Boro next year.’
Syed Zahid Hasan, Scientific Officer of BRI Regional Office, Dinajpur, said that farmers are being introduced to modern rice cultivation technology through this demonstration program conducted under the LSTD project. He said that there are plans to set up rice gardens in the technology villages in the next Aush and Aman seasons as well.
Project Director of the LSTD project, Dr. Md. Anwar Hossain, said that the rice garden is basically a living research field, where it is possible to observe and evaluate many varieties of rice simultaneously. So far, 61 rice varieties suitable for cultivation in the Boro season have been released by BRI. Out of these, 54 varieties are being exhibited in Dinajpur.
Source: Online/GFMM
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