RISKS OF EXTINCTION OF KATARIBHOG RICE VARIETY IN AROMATIC RICE CULTIVATING AREA OF NORTH WESTERN BANGLADESH

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine and describe the extent of risk of extinction of kataribhog rice variety, explore relationship between selected characteristics of the farmers and their extent of risk of extinction of kataribhog rice variety. The study also aimed to determine the problems faced by the farmers in cultivating katarbhog rice and find out the suggestions given by the farmers to protect the kataribhog rice from extinction. Data were collected using pre-tested interview schedule from a sample of 250 farmers, out of 1001, selected by multi-stage random sampling procedure from Dinajpur, Thakurgaon and Nilphamari district during 1st June to 30 July 2016. Pearson‟s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) was used for the statistical analysis. About three-fourths (72.8 percent) of the respondents‟ opined medium risk of extinction of rice variety while 15.2 percent opined low risk of extinction and only 12.0 percent opined high risk of extinction of rice variety. Among the individual risk “replaced by modern variety” was number one risk with Risk of Extinction Index (REI) value of 252.8. The lowest risk as mentioned by the farmers was „long crop duration‟ (REI= 128.0) among the selected risks. The findings indicated that educational qualification had negative significant relationship whereas annual income, organizational participation, extension media contact, cosmopoliteness had positive significant relationship with risk of extinction of rice. „low yield of rice‟ was major problem in cultivating rice and „lack of good seed‟ was second major problem for cultivating rice. “Unavailable fertilizer supply” and “Problems of marketing” are the last two problems with PFI value of 180 and 290 respectively. Majority of the respondents (72.0 percent) opined the „development of high yielding variety (HYV) of kataribhog rice‟ as the number one suggestion and „organizing more awareness training program for the farmers‟ (54.0 percent) as the last suggestion.