Aman research: Gangarampur offers a ray of hope

In Gangarampur village of Khulna's Batiaghata, a local farmers' platform and a voluntary organisation have been researching Aman rice since 2009. They have invented 105 varieties of Aman rice so far. In this village, they conserve, exchange and expand theses new varieties. Every year, on the trial plot, they cultivate paddy without using chemical fertilisers or pesticides. During the process, they collect weekly data related to rice yield, germination, grain condition, stress tolerance, salinity and waterlogging capacity. A farmer named Aruni Sarkar has developed six new varieties of rice -- Alo Dhan, Lokaj Dhan, Aruni Dhan, Ganga Dhan, Maitri Dhan and Lahibhog Dhan. He developed the new varieties in 2010 by hybridisation or emasculation and pollination. These paddies are named by the local farmers. A comparative field yield study has been conducted in 24 plots for four varieties of each rice developed by Aruni this year.  The photos were taken recently. 
 

Photo: Habibur Rahman