Two new local rice varieties, developed at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), remain ready for release in the coming months, said officials.
The high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of paddy are Brridhan-88 and 89, they disclosed.
The new varieties have already generated a great deal of interest among farmers and scientists as well.
The developers claim the rice varieties will compete with Brridhan-28, the key seed in the largest rice sourcing season 'Boro'.
Project associates said the two new varieties were found tolerant to fungal diseases.
Rice yield is more than 7.0 tonnes per hectare, 8.0 to 10 per cent higher than that of the Brridhan-28 and 29, they mentioned.
However, Brridhan-88 and 89 will take the same time of 143 days like the Brridhan-28 variety. The breadth-length ratio, which is a yardstick to measure fineness of grain, is 3.1 in the new variety as against nearly 3.0 of Brridhan-28.
Brridhan-28 has been dominant since the 1990s having been most popular with both the cultivators and consumers. The peasantry preferred the variety because of its taste, slenderness, durability, better yield and price.
According to the BRRI data, Brridhan-28 variety covers more than 60 per cent of the farmland in Boro season.
"The random use of a particular variety is not a sustainable agro-practice," said Dr Md Alamgir Hossain, head of plant breeding division of BRRI.
He told the FE that a variety could be susceptible to a specific disease like blast.
'Maximum farmers could incur loss in Boro season due to the outbreak of any disease which the variety can't tolerate," Mr Hossain explained.
The scientist said the BRRI has long been seeking alternatives to Brridhan-28 to diversify the rice cropping pattern for the nation's future food security.
"And the newest two varieties could be the ultimate alternatives," he said categorically.
Mr Hossain said the technical committee under the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) has recently endorsed the two varieties.
The seeds of the two varieties have been handed over to the National Seed Board for final approval, he cited.
"We are expecting that farmers might get such seeds within the next one year and a half," Mr Hossain said.
