[🇧🇩] Agriculture in Bangladesh

[Saif]

Food minister seeks support from FAO to boost mango export

Food minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder on Thursday sought support from the Food and Agriculture Organisation to increase mango export from Bangladesh....

www.newagebd.net

Food minister seeks support from FAO to boost mango export
United News of Bangladesh . Dhaka | Published: 19:15, Mar 14,2024

-- UNB photo.

Food minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder on Thursday sought support from the Food and Agriculture Organisation to increase mango export from Bangladesh.

He sought the assistance when Jiaoqun Shi, FAO representative in Bangladesh, paid a courtesy call on him at his secretariat office.


During the meeting, they discussed the development of the country's food management and international commercialisation of local fruits.

The food minister said that Bangladesh had achieved self-sufficiency in the production of cereals.

Besides, the production of fruits and vegetables has also increased a lot, he said adding that the country produced about 25 lakh tonnes of mangoes annually but the amount of export was low compared to production.

Jiaoqun Shi said that FAO was working to strengthen food security around the world and it would continue its support to ensure food security in Bangladesh.

Food decretary Md Ismail Hossain and director general of Food Directorate Md Shakhawat Hossain, among others, were present at the meeting.​

 

[Saif]

Agriculture must adapt to climate change

Our food security, farmers’ survival are at stake

www.thedailystar.net

Agriculture must adapt to climate change​

Our food security, farmers’ survival are at stake

VISUAL: STAR

It is a proven fact that climate change is severely affecting agriculture in Bangladesh. Temperatures are consistently rising along with decreased rainfalls, leading to increased salinity, and thus changing our once-fertile lands into dust bowls or lands with poor yields. Its implications for our food security cannot be more profound. Take rice, our main staple. Varieties that need expensive fertilisers and pesticides have replaced many indigenous, high-yielding varieties of paddy that were nutritious and required no chemicals to grow. While we commend the efforts of the agricultural agencies in developing climate-resilient crops, future efforts must reflect the urgency and innovation necessitated by the intensifying climate change.

A report on Koyra, Khulna tells a positive story about how vast lands left barren by increasing salinity are being turned fertile with farmers planting paddy, vegetables and fruits, while also engaging in fish farming. This has been possible through various government bodies, such as the Department of Agricultural Extension and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), which support farmers by providing them with salinity-resistant seeds, advice, training and fertilisers. By adapting to cultivation of salinity-tolerant crops and going into fish farming, these farmers are becoming more solvent and do not have to leave their homes to seek employment elsewhere. Therefore, the community as a whole has benefitted.

The Koyra model must be replicated all over the country, especially in districts like Patuakhali where many farmers have had to abandon their ancestral profession for low-paying jobs in the cities, because the lands they grew crops in have become barren. A report in this paper quotes an official of the Meteorological Department of Patuakhali stating that over the last six years, the average temperature in the district has increased by at least 4.5 degrees Celsius. Rains start much later than before and for shorter periods of time. The high temperatures destroy many of the paddy saplings, and lack of rain leads to low-quality yields, only fit for poultry feed. The number of people engaged in agriculture has thus significantly dropped in the last 10 years.

The government must focus on these districts—once major producers of crops but now left with vast areas of fallow lands. We urge the government to mobilise its relevant agricultural bodies and collaborate with private organisations to invest in research of climate-resilient crops specific to these districts. The government should incentivise farmers to return to their farmlands and grow crops again.​

 

[Saif]

Can our crops survive the erratic weather?

Take urgent stock of the impact of El Nino on our agriculture

www.thedailystar.net

Can our crops survive the erratic weather?​

Take urgent stock of the impact of El Nino on our agriculture

Visual: Star

Like the rest of the world, Bangladesh is feeling the heat of extreme weather patterns, with meteorologists predicting lower rainfall and warmer temperatures as a result of El Nino in the region in the coming days. Heatwaves, which frequented the country in May and June, are likely to continue throughout the summer – and beyond. Meanwhile, rainfall has fallen 67 percent below the normal level, as per the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, raising serious concerns about crop production, food security and the fate of our farmers.

According to a report by this daily, heatwaves have impacted the cultivation of Aus crop and summer vegetables, including green chilli. The shortfall of rain will also affect the retting of jute, a cash crop. Rising temperatures and infrequent rain have resulted in prolonged droughts, reducing availability of water for irrigation and severely hampering crop production. Farmers state that their cost of Aus production has increased by 25 percent, and that croplands are drying out even after irrigation. Moreover, heat stress poses a direct threat to crops, especially heat-sensitive varieties. Production of chillies, for instance, has been gravely affected by the erratic temperatures. According to our correspondent, chilli growers in Bogura and Gaibandha districts would usually get 50-80 maunds of green chilli from one bigha of land, but this year, they are getting roughly seven to eight maunds per bigha. How are farmers supposed to survive if their cash crop fails them?

Given that countries from which we import food items are also reeling from similar erratic weather, we must now seriously confront the very real threat of food insecurity, particularly since we are navigating an already volatile international market held hostage by the Russia-Ukraine war. India, which accounts for 40 percent of world rice export, has already banned export of rice to other countries, including Bangladesh, fearing a production fall following a late start to seasonal monsoon rains. Our government must take urgent stock of the situation and take effective measures to ensure there is no disruption in the supply of essential food items in the coming days. Equally important is to ease farmers' concerns and sufferings at this time of great uncertainty by providing them with technical and financial support.

We also need to conduct reliable research on how El Nino and climate change will impact crop cycles in the future, and come up with heat-resistant varieties that can survive and thrive in erratic weather. As the world tumbles further down the hole of climate change, there can be no alternative to building our own capacities to sustain our crops and ensure food sovereignty for our population.
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[Saif]

Project to modernise farming must work

Farmers need to be motivated and given necessary tools on time

www.thedailystar.net

Project to modernise farming must work​

Farmers need to be motivated and given necessary tools on time

VISUAL: STAR

There is no question that the government's project to introduce integrated farming, using modern agricultural tools, is a farsighted initiative. In order to ensure higher yields, mechanisation of farming and cultivating larger plots of land are essential. The traditional farming of fragmented plots is not economically viable because it is not cost-effective to use mechanised farming on separate plots. Thus, some sort of consolidation of land is necessary to make this TK 3,020-crore project work. That is, however, proving difficult to implement. The project has reportedly encountered major bottlenecks in the form of farmers' reluctance to adopt the synchronised farming method.

As a result, a good policy initiative is finding no headway even after two years. One can imagine that the basic groundwork for getting all the farmers on board with this initiative, which was undertaken in 2021, has not been properly done.​

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The main idea behind the project is to boost crop production as well as reduce the cost of farming by using transplanters, harvesters and other equipment on 50 to 60 acres of land. But farmers are not eager to do away with the aisles separating their plots, which is a prerequisite for the project to work. While the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has demonstrated how this synchronised farming can be done with good results, by cultivating the hybrid SL-8 variety of Boro on 110 blocks in 61 districts, somehow farmers are still not fully convinced.

The Daily Star's report on this cites farmers in Tangail who alleged that they were ready to form groups among themselves and adopt the mechanised farming method, but they had not received the necessary equipment. The plan is to sell 51,300 machines among farmers at 50-70 percent discounts with subsidies, but as of December 2022, only 16,236 were distributed. This is a major gap and must be addressed immediately.


Having sufficient dialogue with the farmers to motivate them to remove the separating aisles in their plots and adopt this new method is vital. Farmers should be made to understand how efficient and cost-effective mechanised farming can be. This will ultimately lead to greater profits for them. Apart from a vigorous awareness campaign involving all stakeholders, the government must ensure that the farmers receive the various mechanised tools on time and with adequate training on how to use them. To gain their trust in the project, it must ensure that farmers' land rights are in no way jeopardised.
We urge the authorities to reinvigorate the project's implementation with full force. We need reforms like this in our agriculture to ensure our future food security and give our farmers the returns they so deserve for feeding the nation with their arduous efforts. Successful implementation of this project is therefore crucial.
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[Saif]

FBCCI focuses on supplying high-yielding seeds at an affordable cost to farmers

The Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) said on Wednesday that there is an urgent need to ensure quality seeds and modern storage facilities to increase agricultural production. FBCCI president Mahbubul Alam said this while speaking at a discussion meeting of the stan

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

FBCCI focuses on supplying high-yielding seeds at an affordable cost to farmers​

UNB​

Published :​

Mar 20, 2024 21:07

Updated :​

Mar 20, 2024 21:07

The Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) said on Wednesday that there is an urgent need to ensure quality seeds and modern storage facilities to increase agricultural production.

FBCCI president Mahbubul Alam said this while speaking at a discussion meeting of the standing committee on agriculture, agro-processing and agro-based industries at FBCCI’s Motijheel office on Wednesday.

He said that to achieve the desired productivity in agriculture, businessmen of this sector have given special importance to the availability of good quality high-yielding seeds at the farmer level, strengthening the food innovation process and climate-tolerant varieties and research.

Besides, businessmen emphasised agricultural mechanisation, establishment of specialised cold storage facilities, an improved supply system and processing of agricultural products to reduce production costs.

“We need to focus on research to improve seed quality. Also, more attention should be paid to the use of technology. As technology improves in agriculture, productivity will increase,” said the FBCCI president.

He said that farmers should be assured of getting a fair price of produce while policies should be implemented to protect their interests.

Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, chairman of the committee and chairman of Pran RFL Group, highlighted the importance of ensuring maximum utilisation of agricultural land and increasing productivity keeping in mind of future food security and growing demand.

Apart from traditional crops, he suggested increasing the production of horticulture, fisheries, livestock, and poultry including pulses and oilseeds.​

 

[Saif]

‘Ensuring technology to boost agri products’

Breaking News, International News & Multimedia

thedailynewnation.com

‘Ensuring technology to boost agri products’​

21 Mar 2024, 12:00 am0
Staff Reporter :

In a bid to achieve an agricultural productivity boost, businessmen and analysts have stressed the availability of improved varieties of seeds at the farmer level.

They also said that strengthening the food innovation process for high-yielding and climate-tolerant varieties, and conducting research have been given special importance in the agricultural sector.

Besides, they also emphasised agricultural mechanisation, the establishment of specialised cold storage, an improved supply system, and the processing of agricultural products to reduce production costs.

The panel discussed these issues in a meeting of the standing committee on agriculture, agro-processing, and agro-based industries at FBCCI’s Motijheel office on Wednesday.

Addressing the chief guest at the meeting, FBCCI President Mahbubul Alam said that the most important thing in the development of agriculture is quality and advanced varieties of seeds.

” We need to focus on research to improve seed quality. Also, more attention should be paid to the use of technology.

As technology improves in agriculture, productivity will increase.” said Mahbubul.

He placed special importance on’building a cool-chain network’ across the country to prevent wastage of agricultural products at various stages, from production to marketing.

Calling for a change in the mentality of the farmers, the FBCCI president said that the farmers should get a fair price for their produce.

Policies should be implemented to protect their interests.

FBCCI senior vice president Md. Amin Helaly urged everyone to adopt short-, medium-, and long-term plans centred on agriculture to ensure sustainable development.

Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, chairman of the committee and chairman of PRAN-RFL Group, highlighted the importance of ensuring maximum utilisation of agricultural land and increasing productivity, keeping in mind future food security and increasing demand.

He further suggested focusing on increasing the production of crops like horticulture, fisheries, livestock, and poultry, along with pulses and oilseeds, in addition to traditional crops.

FBCCI panel advisor and prominent media personality Shykh Seraj said, “It is necessary to create a crop calendar in the country to increase agricultural productivity and ensure farmers get fair prices.”

He suggested the formation of farmers’ associations to identify and solve farmers’ problems.

Shykh Seraj called for public-private joint initiatives to implement compliance and GAP (good agricultural practices) in the value addition, processing, and export of agricultural products.

The director-in-charge of the committee and director of FBCCI, Mohammad Ishaqul Hossain Sweet, called for specific suggestions and recommendations in written form to the committee members to find solutions to the challenges and solutions of the agriculture sector.​

 

[Saif]

BD targets ambitious 5.81m tonne maize output after record yield

Rocketing demand for maize from the feed and food-processing industries is driving the continued expansion of the cereal crop's farming across the country, with production reaching an all-time high in the last financial year. Maize production reached a record 4.55 million tonnes in the last FY,

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

BD targets ambitious 5.81m tonne maize output after record yield​

YASIR WARDAD

Published :​

Mar 25, 2024 00:49

Updated :​

Mar 25, 2024 00:49

Rocketing demand for maize from the feed and food-processing industries is driving the continued expansion of the cereal crop's farming across the country, with production reaching an all-time high in the last financial year.

Maize production reached a record 4.55 million tonnes in the last FY, cultivated on over 0.5 million hectares of land across both winter and summer seasons, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

However, this local production is proving insufficient, with traders also importing large volumes of maize annually to meet demand.

The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) is ambitious for the current season, setting a target to harvest a record-breaking 5.81 million tonnes of maize from 0.543 million hectares.

"For the ongoing Rabi [winter] season, our target was to cultivate maize on 0.524 million hectares, but farmers have exceeded expectations by planting on 0.543 million hectares," said Dr Tajul Islam Patwary, Director of the DAE Field Service Wing.

He said the climate is so well-suited to maize that they expect production to even surpass 5.8 million tonnes. Harvesting has already begun (around 4 per cent complete) and will continue until June.

Dr Golam Faruq, director general of the Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute, pointed to the high prices for maize amid surging demand from the feed industry, currently exceeding Tk 34 per kg.

"Maize production offers farmers a minimum profit margin of 60 per cent, which has incentivised many to switch from crops like potato, vegetables and even rice to maize cultivation in the northern, northwestern, southwestern and central regions of the country over the past five years," said Dr Faruq.

The Feed Industries Association of Bangladesh President Shamsul Arefin Khaled elaborated on maize use, saying that 50-60 per cent of the local agri output is used in poultry feed, with another 12 per cent going to animal feed.

"Beyond the feed industry, the confectionery, hotel and restaurant sectors are also significant consumers of maize," he added.

Maize produced in Bangladesh is favoured by local industries for its superior quality, according to Mr Khaled, encouraging efforts to source as much maize as possible from domestic markets.

Maize silage -- a fermented livestock feed replacing traditional grass -- has grown in popularity.

Mr Khaled said silage can reduce grain feed requirements by up to 30 per cent. Besides, 10-15 per cent of maize is allocated for the fish feed industry.

He said while domestic maize production has increased fivefold in the past fifteen years, demand has grown even faster.

To meet the rising demand of 6.0-6.5 million tonnes, private companies also require imported maize. According to the Plant Quarantine Wing, private importers brought in 2.0 to 2.4 million tonnes of maize over the last five years.

Farm economist Professor Golam Hafiz Kennedy traced the origins of maize cultivation in Bangladesh to the 1990s, following the expansion of the poultry industry.

He highlighted how the production of maize, jute, meat and milk has enormously contributed to improving living standards for local farmers.

Maize cultivation, in particular, has emerged as a pivotal factor in alleviating poverty among farmers in the northern and southwestern regions, said Professor Kennedy.

He provided an example: farmers in Nilphamari can earn Tk 40,000 to Tk 42,000 from selling maize grown on 33 decimals of land, with a maximum investment of Tk 16,000.

Such profits are difficult with other crops.

However, Professor Kennedy cautioned that a drop in demand from the feed industry can sometimes bring hardship to farmers.

Sadid Jamil, managing director of Metal, an agro-machinery company, said the availability of modern equipment for land preparation, harvesting and shelling has further encouraged farmers to cultivate maize.

Farmers now harvest maize using combine harvesters and then extract kernels from the cobs using modern maize shellers, said the Metal MD.

He added that maize shellers have reduced threshing costs by 80 per cent in most regions.​