Needs change of cropping system for mitigating Zinc deficiency in food
Dr.M.A.Sobhan || Tuesday 26 June 2012
Change of cropping system is inevitable in Bangladesh in order to mitigating Zinc deficiency in food
Dr. M.A. Sobhan, Consultant, UBINIG
Zinc is an essential micronutrient. Zinc produces more than hundreds of enzymes. It helps formation of DNA. It enhances physical and mental strength. It invigorates sense organs, hearing power, taste and other impulses. It strengthens disease resistance. Multiple health complications crop up due to deficiency of zinc on food.
Factors responsible for zinc deficiency:
Deficiency of zinc initiates due to continuous cultivation aus, aman and boro rice in sequence under water-logged condition. Consequently zinc deficiency is induced due to non-availability of zinc in the soil.
Health problems linked with zinc deficiency:
(1) Reduced resistance to diseases, (2) Loss of appetite, (3) mental break-down, (4) diarrhoea, (5) normal growth impaired, (6) Loss of vision, (7) declining breeding potential, (8) hyper-tension, (9) angina pectoris, (10) ischemia, (11) reduced healing power, (12) skin lesion, (13) breathing complications, (14) allergy, (15) asthma, (16) induced ageing, (17) loss of hair colour, (18) hair fall, (19) anaemia, (20) gout, (21) birth of crippled baby, etc.
Zinc rich food:
(1) Seed of pumpkin, (2) prawn, (3) crab meat, (4) rice processed with husking pedal, (5) ground nut, (6) milk, (7) beef, (8) chicken, (9) Lamb, (10) potato, (11) Cheese, (12) red wheat flour, etc.
Sustainable solution:
Agriculture systems need a significant change. Rain-fed multiple agriculture system should he re-instituted in place of the predominant irrigated monoculture of rice. The following crops in suitable combinations and patterns matching the land types and seasons will be grown in order for improving the availability of zinc in the soil.
Rabi season
Generally December, January,February and March comprise rabi season in Bangladesh .Wheat, maize, barley, millet, pulses, oil seeds, potato, sweet potato, onion, garlic, coriander, lentil, gram, grass pea, mung bean, pea, soybean, mustard, groundnut, sesame, chili, red amaranth, spinach, gimakolmi, sweet gourd, ash gourd, water gourd, pointed gourd, okra, bitter gourd, brinjal, carrot, radish, turnip, cabbage, cauliflower , tomato, cucumber, water melon, musk melon, etc should be grown. Boro rice will be grown in land served with irrigation from surface water.
Kharif – 1 season:
April, May, June and July comprise Kharif-1 season. Jute, aus rice, maize, mung bean, ground nut, sesame, ginger, turmeric, Indian spinach, stem amaranth, gima kolmi, sweet gourd, ash gourd, water gourd, pointed gourd, bitter gourd, ridge gourd, snake gourd, brinjal, tomato, field bean, teasel gourd, etc will be grown.
Kharif – 2 Season:
August,September,October and November are Kharif-2 season. Aman rice, mung bean, black gram, field bean, teasel gourd, potato, soybean, ground nut, stem amaranth, red amaranth, gima kolmi, sweet gourd, ash gourd, water gourd, ridge gourd, snake gourd, brinjal, cucumber, etc, will be grown. In addition long duration crops like papaya, banana, pineapple, lemon and sugarcane cultivation will be extended.
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