There is a popular saying in Bangladesh ’Sali Dhaner Chira ar Binny Dhaner Khoi ‘ (flattened rice of ‘Sali Dhan’ & puffed rice of ‘Binny Dhan’). Actually those days are gone by when there was a golden period of ‘Binny Dhaner Khoi’ in the rural Bengal and ‘Binny Dhaner Khoi’ is now very rare in Bangladesh. But an effort was made to cultivate ‘Binny Dhan’ in this year during the Amon season and home made puffed rice of ‘Binny dhan’ has been prepared from the cultivated rice. Very good quality ‘Binny Dhaner Khoi‘was obtained from this scented special type of rice as its taste is delicious and has fine aroma. Although the yield was relatively lower as the crop suffered from lodging but this variety is a unique for making nice quality ‘Khoi’ (puffed rice) which are very much suitable for eating after fasting and for those people who wants to control diet. Moreover, for the elderly people and for children it is a unique type of snacks. Besides ‘Binny Dhaner Khoi‘ is also a very good item used and solde in different festivals. But research effort is needed to make it a high yielding and good quality variety as now a days there is a very good demand of ‘Binny Dhaner Khoi ‘in the super shops of major cities of Bangladesh as well. # To enjoy my you tube video on scented rice variety ' Tulshi mala' please follow the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOiU8V8W6Rw # To enjoy more videos on rice follow the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaT3UVfJ8rI #And to enjoy my you tube video on wheat cultivation in Bangladesh follow the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2nw5xEoRBc&t=3s

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Home made ‘Binny Dhaner Khoi’ growing ‘Binny Dhan’ in the last Amon season of 2020
There is a popular saying in Bangladesh “Sali Dhaner Chira ar Binny Dhaner Khoi”
(flattened rice of ‘Sali Dhan’ & puffed rice of ‘Binny Dhan’). Actually those days are gone by
when there was a golden period of ‘Binny Dhaner Khoi’ in the rural Bengal and ‘Binny Dhaner
Khoi’ is now very very rare in Bangladesh. Previously it was an essential item of regular snacks
in the Bangalee families along with different preparations. To focus this nearly extinct variety
and to revive the culture of eating ‘Binny Dhaner Khoi’ recently an effort was made to cultivate
‘Binny Dhan’ in the current year (year 2020) at Natore district collecting seeds of ‘Binny dhan’
variety from Dhamrai during the last Amon season and ‘homemade puffed rice of ‘Binny dhan’
has been prepared from the cultivated rice (Figs. 5 & 6). It can be mentioned here that a very
special and relatively a little bit lengthy technique is followed to produce high quality ‘Khoi’
(puffed rice) of ‘Binny Dhan’. Following that standard procedure, a very good quality of “Binny
Dhaner Khoi” was obtained from this scented special type of relatively high-quality rice and its
taste is delicious and has a fine aroma as well. It can be mentioned here that ‘Payesh’ (a super
quality Bangalee sweet food item) and ‘Pitha’ are also prepared from this ‘Binny Dhan’ in
Chottogram region of Bangladesh. Hopefully, due to the growing demand of this ‘puffed rice of
Binny Dhan’ in ‘Dhamrai’ (near to Dhaka) a village has recently started a lucrative business by
preparing ‘Binny Dhaner Khoi’ commercially.
Fig.1. Binny dhan plot. Fig.2. Binny dhan
As far as the performance of the cultivation of ‘Binny Dhan’ at Natore district during this
year is concerned, although the yield obtained from ‘Binny Dhan’ was relatively lower (558

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kg/acre) than other local varieties as the crop suffered from lodging but it appears that a better
yield can be obtained from this variety if proper cultivation technique is followed.
Characteristics of ‘Binny Dhan’:
1. Taller plant (Plant height 120-125 cm.) with good vigour (Fig. 1).
2. Faster growth but relatively weak stem.
3. Longer deep green leaves and plants usually suffers from lodging at flowering or
grain maturity stage.
4. No. of tillers/plant- 6-7.
5. Panicle length is medium (20-21 cm).
6. Purplish brown coloured spikelet at flowering stage but deep brown coloured paddy
with reddish coloured dehusked grain (Fig. 2).
7. Panicle remains erect even after complete lodging of the plant.
8. Opaue slender type grains having chalky white colour is obtained after milling(Fig.
4).
9. Crop duration 135-136 days.
10. Yield has been recorded as 558 kg/acre but 1400-1500 kg/acre yield can be
obtained if proper management practices are followed.
11. Moderately disease & insect tolerant variety.
12. ‘Khoi’ (Puffed rice) ‘Payesh’ (a popular preparation from scented rice adding milk
& sugar) & ‘Pitha’s are usually prepared from this good quality rice variety which
are very much tasty & has good aroma.
13. It can be cultivated only in the Amon season.
Fig. 3. Binny dhan & dehusked reddish grains Fig. 4. Binny Dhan’s grain after milling.
of Binny dhan.

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Fig. 5. Puffed rice of Binny dhan. Fig. 6. A very simple but delicious recipe of
‘Binny dhan’.
Undoubtedly ‘Binny Dhan’ is a unique type of traditional rice variety of
Bangladesh for making nice quality ‘Khoi’ (puffed rice) which is very much suitable for
eating after fasting and for those people who wants to manage their diet for controlling
obesity problem. Moreover, for the elderly people & for children it is a unique type of
snacks. Besides ‘Binny Dhaner Khoi’ is also a very good item used in different festivals
& during this period sellers earn a very good good profit. Presumably grains of ‘Binny
Dhan’ has more health benefits due to its red coloured bran & rough textured grain.
Earlier Ratna Priya et al. (2019) observed increased nutritional value in the varieties
which produce rough rice (Table.1).
Table.1. Vitamin & mineral content of rough rice and its milling fractions at 14%
moisture)
Rice
fraction
Thiamine
(mg)
Ribofla-
vin (mg)
Niacin
(mg)
α-Toco-
pherol (mg)
Calcium
(mg)
Phos-
phorus
(g)
Phytin
(g)
Iron (mg) Zinc
(mg)
Rough
rice
0.26-0.33 0.06-0.11 2.9-5.6 0.90-2.00 10.0-80.0 0.17-0.39 0.18-0.21 1.4-6.0 1.7-3.1
Brown
rice
0.29-0.61 0.04-0.14 3.5-5.3 0.90-2.50 10.0-50.0 0.17-0.43 0.13-0.27 0.20-5.2 0.6-2.8
Milled
rice
0.02-0.11 0.02-0.06 1.3-2.4 0.075-0.30 10.0-30.0 0.08-0.15 0.02-0.07 0.20-2.80 0.60-2.3
Rice
bran
1.20-2.40 0.18-0.43 26.7- 49.9 2.60-13.30 30.0-120.0 1.1-2.5 0.90-2.2 8.6-43.0 4.30-25.8
Rice hull 0.09-0.21 0.05-0.07 1.6-4.2 0 60.0-130.0 0.03-0.07 0 3.9-9.5 0.9-4.0
(Source: Nutritional & functional properties of coloured rice varieties of South India).
In Bangladesh, not only rice is the staple food of its rice loving people, a wide range of rice
cultivars including local varieties having special qualities are grown here for making different
rice based food products liked puffed rice (Muri, Khoi), flattened rice (Chira), Mola’s of muri &
‘Naru’ of chira, polao, polanno, biriany, pitha, payesh etc. and for making these delicious food
products special type of varieties are cultivated in this country in different regions of
Bangladesh. And in Bangladesh, along with modern varieties- local varieties viz. Katharibhog,
Chinigura, Kalijira, Tulshimala, Binny dhan, Konekchur, Begun bichi etc. are also being
utilized for preparing these rice-based food products. It can be mentioned here that a good no. of

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business people have also been involved for making these rice based food products besides the
involvement of some marignal peoples who are operating small businesses centering rice based
products and improving their livelihood by freeing themselves from the clutch of poverty (Islam
2018). From this perspective the importance of “Binny Dhan” is not less significant. Its defects
such as lodging tendency, taller plant characteristics, higher frequency of sterile grains and
definitely lower yield can be rectified through mutation (Tiwari et al.2018, Bughio et al. 2007,
Domingo et al. 2007, Singh & Singh 2003 and Shadakshari et al. 2001) & other breeding
techniques by retaining its original good qualities. Therefore, more research effort is needed to
make “Binny Dhan” a high yielding and good quality rice variety as now a days there is a very
good demand of ‘Binny Dhaner Khoi ‘in the super shops of major cities of Bangladesh and other
food products made from “Binny Dhan” in different regions of the country.
References
Bughio, H. R., T. A. Odhano, M. A. Asad and M. S. Bughio. 2007. Improvement of grain
yield in rice variety basmati-370 (Oryza sativa L.) through mutagenesis. Pak. J. Bot.39
(7): 2463-2466.
Domingo, C., F. Andres, and M. Talon. 2007. Rice cv. Bahia mutagenized population; a
new resource for rice breeding in the Mediterranean Basin. Spanish J. Agr. Res. 5 (3):
341-347.
Islam, A. I. 2018. Impact of improved rice varieties adoption on farmer’s well being
(livelihood) in rural Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. Agric. Econs. XXXVIII, 1 & 2 (2016-
17) 35-54.
Ratna Priya, T., E. Nelson, A. R. L. Ravichandran and U. Anthony. 2019. Nutritional and
functional properties of coloured rice varietes of South India. : A review. J. Ethn. Food
6, 11 (2019). https://doi.org/ 10.1186/ s42779-019-0017-3.
Sadakshari, J. G., H. M. Chandarappa, R. S. Kulkarni and H. E. Shashidhar. 2001. Induction
of beneficial mutant in rice (Oryza sativa L.) Indian J. Genet. 61 (3): 274-276.
Singh, S. and J. Singh (2003).Mutation in Basmati rice induced by gamma rays, ethyl
methane sulphonate and Sodium Azide. Oryza. 40 (1 & 2): 5-10.
Tiwari, A. K., D. Sharma, B. K. Das, V. Kumar, P. Sahu, S. Baghel and S. Singh.
2018. Improvement of traditional local varieties through induced mutations using
gamma irradiations. Online International (Inter Disciplinary Research Journal,
(Bimonthly): ISSN 2249-9598. VOL. 08. Dec. 2018 PP: 405-412.
Address:
Dr. Sitesh Chandra Biswas
Manager (Product Development Support)
BRAC Seed & Agro Enterprise
BRAC Agricultural Research & Development Centre (BARDC)
Jogitola, BRRI, Joydebpur, Gazipur

5. 5
Bangladesh
Telephone: 9294208 (Office)
Mobile no: +88 01730349845
E-mail: sitesh.cb@brac.net
or, siteshchbiswas@yahoo.com
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