Dhaka: PRAN on Wednesday signed an agreement with Harvest Plus, a program of Consultative Group in international Agricultural Research (CGIAR), to market nutritious high zinc rice which can provide upto 60% of daily zinc needs to the consumers.

Mentioning that in Bangladesh around 36 percent children under the age of five and 57 percent women are suffering from zinc deficiency, Wolfgang Pfeiffer, Director (Research and development) of HarvestPlus said that, 44 percent adolescent girls are becoming stunted for their age. HarvestPlus is working to improve the situation through development and dissemination of biofortified zinc rice. Four varieties of zinc rice have been released.

Eleash Mridha, Managing Director of PRAN Group said, HarvestPlus is working with the farmers of 62 districts to produce High zinc rice. PRAN will purchase the grain directly from the zinc rice growers of northern area of Bangladesh and brings to the consumers as packaged product.

Mahatab Uddin, Chief Operating Officer of PRAN Agro Business Ltd and Wolfgang Pfeiffer signed the deal on behalf of their respective organizations on Wednesday at PRAN-RFL Center in Dhaka. Khairul Bashar, country manager of HarvestPlus Bangladesh, among others were also present at the event.