Scientists demand govt incentives

Scientists at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), priding on their recent success in creating several high yielding rice varieties including a zinc-enriched one, yesterday demanded special incentives from the government.
"The government has just provided incentives to scientists at the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR). I think BRRI scientists deserve that too," said BRRI Director General Dr Md Syedul Islam.
He was speaking at a press briefing on BRRI's Gazipur campus organised to formally announce Monday's release of four new rice varieties including biologically fortified (biofortified) hi-zinc rice, reports our correspondent from Gazipur.
The cabinet on Monday gave the final approval to a draft bill that seeks to increase the retirement age of the BCSIR scientists from 59 years to 67 years. It drew flak from over 1,700 government agri-scientists who have long been promised of special incentives but got none till date.
Addressing the briefing, the BRRI DG informed that the seeds of the hi-zinc rice would be ready for farmers to cultivate in the next Aman season.
A decade-long research by Bangladeshi scientists has culminated in the release of the world's first zinc-enriched rice variety, capable of fighting diarrhoea and pneumonia-induced childhood deaths and stunting.
The National Seed Board (NSB) on Monday approved the release of the hi-zinc rice-- Brri Dhan-62--which is also the most early-maturing variety ever released for Aman season.
The BRRI breeders developed the hi-zinc rice with support from HarvestPlus, a global biofortification mission launched in 2004 under Washington-based global agro-science coordination body Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
India lags behind as Bangladeshi breeders have succeeded in developing two hi-zinc rice varieties--one for Aman season and the other for Boro.
The NSB also approved release of three other BRRI rice varieties--salt-tolerant BRRI Dhan-61 and early maturing BRRI Dhan-59 and 60. The latter two can be reaped 10 to 12 days earlier than the country's best performing Boro rice variety--BRRI Dhan-29, said BRRI scientists at the briefing.