Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has launched 24 hours call center services. Photo: BRRI

DHAKA, June 25, 2025 (BSS)- Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has launched 24 hours call center services for the farmers with an objective to provide necessary advices on fertilizer management, weed control, pest management and irrigation.

The farmers from all corners of the country can take advice on paddy cultivation from experts free of cost at any time by dialing on 09644300300.
    
The service was formally launched at a workshop on “Role of print and electronic media in broadcasting agricultural advice based on weather forecast” at BRRI offices here today.

Director General of BRRI Dr Mohammad Khalequzzaman attended the workshop as the chief guest while BRRI Director (research) and BRRI Agro-Met Lab chief Dr M Rafiqul Islam was in the chair.

BRRI Agro-Met Lab Coordinator Dr ABM Jahid Hossen presented the keynote paper at the workshop.

BRRI director general said, farmers are frequently facing acute loss in paddy production due to impact of adverse impact of the weather. The 24-hours call center has been launched in the name of ‘Paddy call Center’ to inform the farmer on how to resolve these problems.”

The farmer will get the solution of all problems by dialing on 09644300300. The solution will be provided by the scientists of the Agro-met lab of the BRRI.

Farmers will not face any harassment in getting the necessary advice and data information, he added.

He said the BRRI so far has been invented 121 paddy varieties since 1970, out of them eight are hybrid.
 
Bangladesh is now the third highest rice producing country in the world thanks to BRRI for its innovation, he said.

Five among the BRRI’s latest six varieties are climate resilience, he said adding that paddy cultivation is closely linked to the life and livelihood of the farmer and it is also the issue of our food security.

But the farmers face various challenges like abrupt change of weather, diseases, pest attack or wrong application of the fertilizer. 

To address the issues farmers need time befitting advices to resolve the problems, he said.