Blast attack: Rice yield dropped by 80% 

The Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (Brri) has found a decrease in rice yield by up to 80% due to blast disease in the current boro season, said Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzak.

In a press conference organised at the Ministry of Agriculture on Sunday, he said, "Brri-28 rice variety affected by blast will be removed from the field soon. We are discouraging farmers not to cultivate this variety because if a variety is cultivated for a long time, its quality decreases and it loses its resistance to various diseases and insect attacks, which happened to Brri-28."

According to sources from the Directorate of Agricultural Extension, blast disease has been reported in 141 hectares of land across the country this year.

The minister said there has been a lot of production of Bina-25 paddy in the country. Bina-25 is the finest variety in the country so far. This time this rice will revolutionise paddy production. Its seeds have been given in most of the districts.

Brri Director General Md Shahjahan Kabir told TBS, "We found up to 80% yield loss in some places. In haor areas, paddy is planted early so the damage is more there. However, there will be no impact on the country's total production."

Brri Director General Md Shahjahan Kabir said, "This is a varietal replacement. In all countries, an old variety is replaced by modernising it or creating an alternative variety. The same is being done in this case. There is no blast-resistant rice variety worldwide."

At the press briefing, the agriculture minister said 90% of paddy has been harvested in haor areas so far. He hoped 2.2 crore tonnes of rice would be produced this year.

The target for boro cultivation in 2022-23 was 49.76 lakh hectares of land. Cultivation was done on 50 lakh hectares. This year the production target is 2.15 crore tonnes. 

He hoped that 10 lakh tonnes more rice would be produced than the target.

He said farmers are selling paddy from the field at Tk900 to Tk1100-Tk1200 per maund.