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Agriculture in Bangladesh

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Map showing the growing areas of major agricultural products.
Bangladesh has a primarily agrarian economy. Agriculture is the single largest producing sector
of the economy since it comprises about 18.! "data released on #o$ember, %&1&' of the
country(s )*+ and employs around ,-! of the total labor force.
.1/
0he performance of this sector
has an o$erwhelming impact on major macroeconomic objecti$es like employment generation,
po$erty alle$iation, human resources de$elopment and food security.
A plurality of 1angladeshis earn their li$ing from agriculture. Although rice and jute are the
primary crops, wheat is assuming greater importance. 0ea is grown in the northeast. 1ecause of
1angladesh(s fertile soil and normally ample water supply, rice can be grown and har$ested three
times a year in many areas. *ue to a number of factors, 1angladesh(s labor2intensi$e agriculture
has achie$ed steady increases in food grain production despite the often unfa$orable weather
conditions. 0hese include better flood control and irrigation, a generally more efficient use of
fertili3ers, and the establishment of better distribution and rural credit networks. With 4-.8
million metric tons produced in %&&&, rice is 1angladesh(s principal crop. #ational sales of the
classes of insecticide used on rice, including granular carbofuran, synthetic pyrethroids, and
malathion e5ceeded 14,&&& tons of formulated product in %&&4.
.%/.4/
0he insecticides not only
represent an en$ironmental threat, but are a significant e5penditure to poor rice farmers. 0he
1angladesh 6ice 6esearch 7nstitute is working with $arious #)8s and international
organi3ations to reduce insecticide use in rice.
.,/
7n comparison to rice, wheat output in 1999 was 1.9 million metric tons. +opulation pressure
continues to place a se$ere burden on producti$e capacity, creating a food deficit, especially of
wheat. Foreign assistance and commercial imports fill the gap. :nderemployment remains a
serious problem, and a growing concern for 1angladesh(s agricultural sector will be its ability to
absorb additional manpower. Finding alternati$e sources of employment will continue to be a
daunting problem for future go$ernments, particularly with the increasing numbers of landless
peasants who already account for about half the rural labor force.
Food crops
Although 6ice,Wheat,Mango and jute are the primary crops,assuming greater importance.
.-/
*ue
to the e5pansion of irrigation networks, some wheat producers ha$e switched to culti$ation of
mai3e which is used mostly as poultry feed.
.-/
0ea is grown in the northeast.
.-/
1ecause of
1angladesh(s fertile soil and normally ample water supply, rice can be grown and har$ested three
times a year in many areas.
.-/
*ue to a number of factors, 1angladesh(s labor2intensi$e
agriculture has achie$ed steady increases in food grain production despite the often unfa$orable
weather conditions.
.-/
0hese include better flood control and irrigation, a generally more efficient
use of fertili3ers, and the establishment of better distribution and rural credit networks.
.-/
With
%8.8 million metric tons produced in %&&-2%&& ";uly<;une', rice is 1angladesh(s principal crop.
.-/
1y comparison, wheat output in %&&-2%&& was 9 million metric tons.
.-/
+opulation pressure
continues to place a se$ere burden on producti$e capacity, creating a food deficit, especially of
wheat.
.-/
Foreign assistance and commercial imports fill the gap.
.-/
:nderemployment remains a
serious problem, and a growing concern for 1angladesh(s agricultural sector will be its ability to
absorb additional manpower.
.-/
1angladesh is the fourth largest rice
./
producing country in the world. #ational sales of the
classes of insecticide used on rice, including granular carbofuran, synthetic pyrethroids, and
malathion e5ceeded 14,&&& tons of formulated product in %&&4 .1/ .%/. 0he insecticides not only
represent an en$ironmental threat, but are a significant e5penditure to poor rice farmers. 0he
1angladesh 6ice 6esearch 7nstitute is working with $arious #)8s and international
organi3ations to reduce insecticide use in rice .4/.
Wheat is not a traditional crop in 1angladesh, and in the late 198&s little was consumed in rural
areas. *uring the 19&s and early 19=&s, howe$er, it was the only commodity for which local
consumption increased because e5ternal food aid was most often pro$ided in the form of wheat.
7n the first half of the 198&s, domestic wheat production rose to more than 1 million tons per
year but was still only = to 9 percent of total food grain production. 6ecord production of nearly
1.- million tons was achie$ed in F> 198-, but the following year saw a decrease to just o$er 1
million tons. About half the wheat is grown on irrigated land. 0he proportion of land de$oted to
wheat remained essentially unchanged between 198& and 198, at a little less than percent of
total planted area.
Wheat also accounts for the great bulk of imported food grains, e5ceeding 1 million tons
annually and going higher than 1.8 million tons in F> 198,, F> 198-, and F> 198=. 0he great
bulk of the imported wheat is financed under aid programs of the :nited ?tates, the @uropean
@conomic Aommunity, and the World Food +rogramme.
Food grains are culti$ated primarily for subsistence. 8nly a small percentage of total production
makes its way into commercial channels. 8ther 1angladeshi food crops, howe$er, are grown
chiefly for the domestic market. 0hey include potatoes and sweet potatoes, with a combined
record production of 1.9 million tons in F> 198,B oilseeds, with an annual a$erage production of
%-&,&&& tonsB and fruits such as bananas, jackfruit, mangoes, and pineapples. @stimates of
sugarcane production put annual production at more than = million tons per year, most of it
processed into a coarse, unrefined sugar known as gur, and sold domestically.
See also
Forestry in 1angladesh
Fishing in 1angladesh
@conomy of 1angladesh
References
1. CA7A 2 0he World FactbookC . Aentral 7ntelligence Agency. Archi$ed from the
original on %9 ;une %&11. 6etrie$ed 8 August %&11.
%. +etrra2irri.org
4. ,&4 Forbidden
,. httpDEEwww.irri.orgEpublicationsEtodayEpdfsE42,E6ice0oday42,.pdfFsearchG
!%%H70@!%&rice!%&1angladesh!%&6eason!%&to!%&Aheer!%%
-. C1ackground #oteD 1angladeshC . 1ureau of ?outh and Aentral Asian Affairs
"March %&&8'. Accessed ;une 11, %&&8. This article incorporates text from this source,
which is in the public domain.
. C7667 2 7nternational 6ice 6esearch 7nstituteC
0his article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Hibrary of
Aongress Aountry ?tudies.
Munir Ihasru ?yed, Mua3 ;alil Mohammad, Iayenat Iabir "%&&8', Forecasting *emand for
:rea 0?+ and M+ Fertili3er for Jegetable and 6ice +roduction in 1angladesh "*raft'
httpDEEpapers.ssrn.comEsol4Epapers.cfmKabstractLidG1414-8-
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