Thanks to Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (Bina)'s "Binachinabadam 6' groundnut variety, farmers in Gopalganj have been able to turn their fortunes for the better, as it was made to be salinity-resistant.
Sources at the district's Bina sub-station reported that 2.85 tons of Binachinabadam-6 was produced per hectare of land this year.
They said every year in March, salt seeps into the farmlands of the region, which renders the land unusable. This has been the case for the last 3-4 years, they added. But Bina's efforts to bring forth a salt-resistant groundnut variety has helped turn things around.
Sources said, this year four acres of land in Sadar upazila's Manikhar village was used, to experimentally cultivate this new groundnut, across 10 plots. Traditional groundnuts were also grown to compare which variety would yield more.
It was found that 1.4 tons of traditional groundnut was produced per hectare, while Binachinabadam 6 grew at 2.85 tons per hectare.
Md Mafizur Rahman, a farmer from Sadar upazila said, salinity in the farmland stems from the nearby Madhumati River.
Previously this forced the groundnut roots to decay, but this year, along with other farmers, he grew Binachinabadam 6, which resulted in a bumper production.
Dr Md Abul Kalam Azad, a scientist at Bina, and the innovator of the said variety, said Binachinabadam 6 was conceived to cope with the ongoing effects of climate change.
"The yearly penetration of salinity in the farmland is a new phenomenon, which stemmed from climate change," he remarked, "If this groundnut variety gains popularity, it will elevate scores of other groundnut farmers across the country that face a similar scenario."
Dr Md Shahidul Islam, project director of Bina's Climate Change Trust Fund (CCTF), told Dhaka Tribune that it was the first year of experimentally launching Binachinabadam 6 in Gopalganj, and they are glad the gamble paid off.
Balai Krishna Hajra, joint secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture said, he had visited some of the farms in Gopalganj, which grew the groundbreaking variety, and is satisfied with the high yielding capacity of Binachinabadam 6.
Director General of Bina Dr Biresh Kumar Goswami said, most of their innovated produces, such as paddies, oil seeds, wheat, and lentils have all produced more than double their expected capacities, and Binachinabadam 6 is no exception.
He pledged to work harder on the groundnut variety so that it could be expanded across the country in the soonest possible time.
