Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) will celebrate golden jubilee on Thursday marking 50 years of its innovation success as the institute played vital role in food security through inventing over 111 modern rice varieties.

The BRRI has taken two-day programme including cultural functions to mark the day, confirmed by the BRRI officials here today.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will join the function as the chief guest and visit different spots inside the institute.

President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have given separate messages marking the golden jubilee of the BRRI.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will inaugurate ‘Bangabandhu- Pierre Elliot Trudeau Agricultural Technology Centre’ at the BRRI at 11.25am on
Thursday.

The technology centre has been set up at the BRRI following a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the Global Institute for Food Security at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council aiming to cooperate on multidisciplinary research, training and development partnership to ensure sustainable food security.

Subsequently, the premier will also fly balloons and release pigeons marking the golden jubilee of BRRI’s pride and success in the last 50 years.

The prime minister will also take part in different programmes including tree plantations, inspection of BRRI laboratories, its various innovations and participate in a cultural function titled ‘Dhan-Kabbya’. A documentary film titled “50 years of BRRI’s pride and success” will be screened during the
PM’s visit.

After arrival at the BRRI helipad at 11am, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will pay homage at the portrait of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Talking to BSS on the significance of 50 years anniversary of BRRI’s success, BRRI Director General Dr M Shahjahan Kabir said: “Bangladesh once was a chronic food deficit country and now it has become a food surplus one due to relentless efforts by the rice scientists.”

“Now we are working to execute a plan till 2050 as the country would never to be embraced as a food deficit one again,” the DG said, adding that the
achievement of independence is our significant success and at the same time attaining food sufficiency is also our another landmark success.

Other noted personalities including Agriculture Minister Dr M Abdur Razzaque, Agriculture Secretary Wahida Akter, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Executive Director of Global Institute of Food Security (GIFS), Canada Dr Steven Webb, Director General (DG) of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines Dr Jean Balfe, Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) Dr Sheikh Mohammad Baktiar and Director General (DG) of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Dr M Shahjahan Kabir will attend the function.

BRRI has, so far, developed and released 111 modern varieties–104 Inbreed and 7 Hybrid–of them 24 are stress tolerant of which 10 are saline tolerant, three submergence, three drought, four cold, two tidal submergence, one semi-deep water and one dual tolerant (Sal+Sub).

In addition, 13 premium quality, five Zn-enriched and three Low GI (Glycemic Index) rice for diabetic patients have been developed. It is reported that, more than 80 percent of total rice area of the country has been covered by BRRI released variety and its contribution to national rice production is about 91 percent.

Since independence population increased two-and-half fold but rice production has increased more than three-and-half fold which reflects the success story of rice scientists, extension agents and farmers with the strong support of pro-agriculture government led by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

In 2013, Bangladesh started exporting rice and Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) is one of a key contributor behind this tremendous
achievement.