Bangladesh Rice Research Institute
Profile
- Head
- Dr. Md. Aminul Islam
- Role
- Director General
- Annual budget
- ৳1,100,000,000
- Staff
- 786
- Established
- 1970
- Legal basis
- Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Act, 1973 (Act X of 1973), which renamed and re-established the former East Pakistan Rice Research Institute as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Agriculture; amended by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (Amendment) Act, 1996 (Act V of 1996), which restructured governance under a 13-member Board of Management; further amended by the BRRI Act, 2017, which updated governance provisions; principal statute accessible at bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd Act No. 431
BRRI entered its most productive variety-release cycle in recent years: the NSB 115th meeting (February 2026) approved six new varieties (BRRI Dhan 115-118, Hybrid Dhan 9-10) bringing the cumulative total to 127 varieties, 39 of which are climate-resilient; Dr. Aminul Islam assumed as Director General on May 4, 2026, succeeding Dr. Khalequzzaman; the agriculture minister has formally requested IRRI collaboration on low-GI and next-generation nutritious rice (April 2026); BRRI varieties now account for approximately 70% of rice area and 80% of national production; Boro 2025-26 procurement cycle benefited from government rice stocks reaching 1.86 million MT by July 2025, the highest since January 2022.
Recent activity
- 2026-05-04 appointment Dr. Md. Aminul Islam, formerly Chief Scientific Officer and Head of BRRI Regional Station Sonagazi, appointed Director General of BRRI effective May 4, 2026; succeeded Dr. Mohammad Khalequzzaman; Islam joined BRRI as Scientific Officer on August 20, 1998, holds a PhD in Soil Science from Gazipur Agricultural University (2013), and has more than 80 peer-reviewed publications; recognised as one of the senior scientists in the National Agricultural Research System. ↗↗↗
- 2026-04-01 international Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Amin Ur Rashid met with IRRI leadership and formally requested IRRI's support in developing rice varieties with lower glycaemic index (GI) and higher nutritional value, deepening the BRRI-IRRI partnership; IRRI confirmed continued collaboration on next-generation rice research, building on BRRI dhan105 (GI value 55, a low-GI anti-diabetic variety already in cultivation) and new variety approvals. ↗↗
- 2026-02-01 regulation National Seed Board (115th meeting, Ministry of Agriculture) approved six new BRRI rice varieties for nationwide cultivation: BRRI Dhan 115 (Bangladesh's first high-yielding black rice, vitamin E 14.98 mg/kg, antioxidant C3G 29.12 mg/kg, average yield 7.4 t/ha, 137-142 day life cycle, developed via anther culture); BRRI Dhan 116 (high-yield late-maturing Boro, average 8.59 t/ha, potential 10.36 t/ha, 13.75% higher than BRRI Dhan 92); BRRI Dhan 117 (short-duration, salt-tolerant, blast-resistant Boro, average 8.6 t/ha, potential 9.90 t/ha); BRRI Dhan 118 (cold-tolerant haor variety, minimum 6.0 t/ha); BRRI Hybrid Dhan 9 (moderately salt-tolerant, lodging-resistant, 145-147 day cycle); BRRI Hybrid Dhan 10 (9.7-10.7 t/ha field yield, lodging-tolerant, protein 9.1%); total BRRI varieties now 127, with 39 tolerant to adverse conditions (floods, drought, salinity, waterlogging). ↗↗↗
- 2026-01-15 other BRRI Annual Research Review Workshop 2024-25 inaugurated at BRRI headquarters auditorium, Gazipur; seven-day event convened BRRI, BARI, BARC, DAE, BADC, IRRI, and university representatives to review research findings across 18 divisions and formulate food-security strategies; Agriculture Ministry Secretary Dr. Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian attended as chief guest; DG Khalequzzaman noted that BRRI varieties cover approximately 70% of cultivable rice area and contribute nearly 80% of national rice production. ↗↗
Provenance & notes
BRRI was founded on October 1, 1970, as the East Pakistan Rice Research Institute (EPRRI) at Joydebpur, Gazipur; renamed BRRI and re-established as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Agriculture by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Act, 1973 (Act X of 1973); established_year set to 1970, the year of physical founding, consistent with the BRRI official website, Wikipedia, and Banglapedia. The 1973 Act is the legal charter; amended in 1996 (Act V of 1996) and again by the BRRI Act 2017. Headquarters: Joydebpur, Gazipur-1701, 36 km north of Dhaka. Research infrastructure: headquarters plus 17 regional stations across agro-ecological zones (Barisal, Bhanga, Khulna, Kushtia, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Habiganj, Comilla, Sonagazi, Rangamati, and others); 18 research divisions. Genebank: approximately 7,500 germplasm accessions (nearly 5,000 local varieties per Banglapedia; Wikipedia figure not separately stated). Staff count of 786 total (308 scientists) is from Wikipedia citing 2023 data; Banglapedia cites older figures (134 scientists + 344 supporting staff), superseded by Wikipedia's 2023 figure. Budget: BDT 1.1 billion (USD 8.9 million) for FY 2022-23 from Wikipedia; no FY 2025-26 standalone BRRI budget found. Total variety count: pre-February 2026 was 121 (per ARRW January 2026 press release citing DG Khalequzzaman); NSB 115th meeting added 6 varieties; post-approval total is 127, cross-verified by The Daily Star, TBS News, and Rice News Today. BRRI Dhan 115 characteristics (vitamin E 14.98 mg/kg, C3G 29.12 mg/kg, 7.4 t/ha, 137-142 days, anther culture) sourced from The Daily Star and Rice News Today. BRRI Dhan 116 (8.59 t/ha average, 10.36 t/ha potential, 13.75% over BRRI Dhan 92), Dhan 117 (8.6 t/ha, 9.90 t/ha potential, salt-tolerant, blast-resistant), Dhan 118 (cold-tolerant haor, min 6.0 t/ha) all from same sources. Hybrid Dhan 9-10: 145-147 day cycle, 9.7-10.7 t/ha, protein 9.1%, lodging-resistant, moderately salt-tolerant per TBS News and The Daily Star. NSB meeting date confirmed as February 2026 by three independent sources; exact day not published, set to 2026-02-01 as month-start placeholder. DG appointment: Dr. Aminul Islam confirmed May 4, 2026 by BSS News, Daily Sun, and Business Times BD (three independent sources); succeeded Dr. Mohammad Khalequzzaman who chaired the January 2026 ARRW and served as DG through at least January 2026. The ARRW January 15, 2026 date confirmed by BSS News. Agriculture Minister IRRI meeting in April 2026 confirmed by BSS News and IRRI; exact day not specified, set to 2026-04-01 as month-start placeholder. Boro 2025-26 stock figure of 1.86 million MT (highest since January 2022) sourced from USDA FAS GAIN report. verification_status 'verified': all core institutional facts (establishment, legal basis, mandate, parent, headquarters) cross-verified across Wikipedia, Banglapedia, bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd, and official BRRI portal; DG appointment cross-verified across three independent news sources; variety approvals cross-verified across three independent sources.
Sources
- https://brri.gov.bd/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh_Rice_Research_Institute
- https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Bangladesh_Rice_Research_Institute
- http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/act-431.html
- https://brri.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/brri.portal.gov.bd/page/6af533b2_278e_4e30_9e27_0626f3448845/About_BRRI.pdf
- https://www.bssnews.net/others/384120
- https://www.daily-sun.com/20/872948
- https://www.businesstimes-bd.com/bangladesh/6403
- https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/six-new-rice-varieties-approved-nationwide-cultivation-4100106
- https://www.thedailystar.net/business/economy/news/six-new-rice-varieties-approved-nationwide-cultivation-4100541
- https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/six-new-rice-varieties-including-two-hybrids-added-national-seed-bank-1353046
- https://ricenewstoday.com/six-new-rice-varieties-approved-for-nationwide-cultivation/
- https://ricenewstoday.com/six-new-rice-varieties-including-two-hybrids-added-to-national-seed-bank/
- https://www.bssnews.net/news/351419
- https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/401108/six-day-brri-research-review-workshop-begins-in
- https://www.bssnews.net/news/380067
- https://www.irri.org/news-and-events/news/bangladeshs-new-agriculture-minister-signals-push-next-generation-rice
- http://knowledgebank-brri.org/brri-rice-varieties/
- https://www.fao.org/agris/data-provider/bangladesh-rice-research-institute