[🇧🇩] Agriculture in Bangladesh

[Saif]

Average Aman yield increases

The average yield of rice in the ongoing Aman season has increased this year, ushering hopes to compensate the damage Bangladesh incurred in 14 districts due to July-August flooding. As above 56 per cent of Aman harvest has been completed so far, according to official statistics, farmers are

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Average Aman yield increases
Yasir Wardad
Published :
Dec 20, 2024 01:17
Updated :
Dec 20, 2024 01:17

The average yield of rice in the ongoing Aman season has increased this year, ushering hopes to compensate the damage Bangladesh incurred in 14 districts due to July-August flooding.

As above 56 per cent of Aman harvest has been completed so far, according to official statistics, farmers are getting 3.11 tonnes of rice on average per hectare of land.

The country produced an all-time high of 16.7-million tonnes of rice in the last Aman season when average yield was 2.90 tonnes per hectare.

This fiscal year, the expectation was higher at 17.6-million tonnes on 5.9-million hectares, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).

But the devastating flood in south-east for heavy rain and sudden water release from neighbouring India in July-August caused severe damage to nearly 0.3-million hectares of standing crops, said a DAE official.

Despite the losses, according to him, driving rain and short-time floods in many places have helped raise productivity.

DAE director general Md Saiful Alam said the average yield per hectare has so far been 3.11 tonnes.

"An estimated 56-per cent Aman harvest has been made and we are expecting completion by the first week of January," he added.

With the end of the harvest, Mr Alam said, the average yield might be 2.95 to 3.0 tonnes.

After flood damage, an estimated 5.67-million hectares of Aman crop were in the fields.

The production might be static or rise a little bit, thanks to a surge in per-hectare yield, observed Mr Alam.

However, rice prices still remain higher amid the Aman season as coarse rice is selling at Tk 55-56, medium at Tk 65-68 and finer at Tk 72-88 per kg at groceries.

Following seasonal floods, the interim government has removed almost all duties on rice import for the private sector.

The public sector also attempts to import 0.5-million tonnes.

Besides, food directorate has started its annual Aman procurement with a target for 0.7-million tonnes of food grain.​

 

[Saif]

Mechanisation in farming needs easy access to funds: USAID study

Access to finance is a big barrier to mechanization in farming in Bangladesh and so the lenders should do more to support the agriculture sector. "Smallholder farmers and agri-businesses in Bangladesh continue to face significant barriers in accessing the financial resources they need to thrive,"

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Mechanisation in farming needs easy access to funds: USAID study
FE REPORT
Published :
Dec 20, 2024 10:27
Updated :
Dec 20, 2024 10:27

A workshop on Thursday disclosed findings of a USAID study on challenges facing the agriculture sector of Bangladesh, implemented by Palladium International in partnership with SAJIDA Foundation

Access to finance is a big barrier to mechanization in farming in Bangladesh and so the lenders should do more to support the agriculture sector.

"Smallholder farmers and agri-businesses in Bangladesh continue to face significant barriers in accessing the financial resources they need to thrive," reads a press release issued by the USAID.

An USAID study, implemented by Palladium International in partnership with SAJIDA Foundation, dug up the findings that were made public on Thursday at a workshop in the capital.

The Inclusive Access to Finance (IAF) Activity was aimed at addressing the challenges and improving the access to finance in the agriculture sector.

The event brought together policymakers, high officials from financial institutions, and other key stakeholders to validate the preliminary findings of the assessment "Access to Finance Landscape and Inclusive Development in Bangladesh" (AFLID).

The workshop featured discussions and valuable insights on the findings of the assessment.

The preliminary findings from the assessment showed that lending institutions come across factors including high operating costs, information asymmetry, a lack of financial literacy among borrowers, and unpredictable weather while considering loan disbursement to farmers.

The participants spoke of opportunities to improve agriculture financing through specialised credit products, better operational efficiency, a stronger and digitalised system for assessing and distributing loans, and collaboration between the regulators and lending institutions.

Kazi Rafiqul Hassan, executive director of the Bangladesh Bank, the chief guest at the event, emphasized the government's commitment to addressing the barriers faced by the agriculture sector stakeholders.

"The SME department of the central bank is enforcing a rule that requires 25 per cent of the total portfolio of banks' loans and advances to be allocated to the SME sector."

Moreover, Bangladesh Krishi Bank and Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank are dedicated to agricultural financing, which will further enhance inclusive accessibility of agricultural funding, Mr Hassan added.

Joseph Lessard, director of the Office of Economic Growth, USAID Bangladesh, emphasised the need for all stakeholders to work together - "Achieving inclusive access to finance in Bangladesh is a complex challenge, particularly due to the challenges in reaching farmers, and other underserved communities in a cost-effective manner and with financial services that meet their needs."

The government and the private sector must play important roles in creating an ecosystem of financial services that meet the needs of farmers and agribusinesses, he said.​

 

[Saif]

Bumper harvest, but rice prices soar

That the per-acre Aman rice yield this season is notably higher than that of the last season, when the country reportedly had produced an all-time high of 16.7 million tonnes of Aman, is a piece of welcome news. Despite an increase in per-acre yield, it is hard to make assessment of the actual Aman

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Bumper harvest, but rice prices soar
FE
Published :
Dec 21, 2024 22:05
Updated :
Dec 21, 2024 22:05

That the per-acre Aman rice yield this season is notably higher than that of the last season, when the country reportedly had produced an all-time high of 16.7 million tonnes of Aman, is a piece of welcome news. Despite an increase in per-acre yield, it is hard to make assessment of the actual Aman production this year because of the consecutive floods in the months of July and August and the damage caused to standing Aman crop in the affected areas. Even before the floods, the prices of rice had been rising, showing no impact of successive good Aman and Boro rice harvests in recent years. Against the backdrop of an unabated rise in the prices of the main staple in the recent months, the government has lifted almost all duties on the import of rice by the private sector, but to no effect. The prices of most varieties of rice are still on the rise.

Despite the indication of a good Aman harvest this year, rice prices continue to be stubbornly high because in some cases the market here does not follow the law of demand and supply. Syndicates of unscrupulous sections of the traders rule the roost in the market and make super profits. Needless to say, in such a situation, prices in the local market can only have an upward trend. During the immediate past regime, people saw the drama of market monitoring and intervention as well as dialogue with the traders but market continued to behave irrationally. The reason behind this strange phenomenon is that the problem lies very much with the political bigwigs and their cohorts. This can happen only when these powerful people are themselves engaged in plundering country's resources and siphoning the same off to other countries. Encouraged by the corrupt practices of the big shots, the dishonest traders bother little about the directives from higher authorities to keep prices under control. The rise in the prices of agricultural inputs and fair wages for labourers and dominance of a section of corporate entities in farm produce marketing might have fuelled prices of rice and some other farm goods at the retail level.

A riddle of the country's level of rice production is that the deposed regime had always claimed that it raised rice production to the level of self-sufficiency but Bangladesh has been importing a bulk quantity of rice and other food grains every year. This suggests the existence of a gaping hole between the claim and the actual production. This is also indicative of serious statistical manipulations by the then government in the calculations of GDP growth, per capita income and inflation rate. It is imperative that correct assessment is made in all these areas. The myth of self-sufficiency in rice production trumpeted by the Hasina regime needs to be broken and right measures should be taken to reach that goal sustainably.

The importance of the Aman season is that its contribution to the country's annual cereal crop production is the second highest, next to only the Boro season. So, monetary support and timely supply of adequate quantities of inputs should be ensured to maintain this rising trend of Aman production along with Boro and other crops. The removal of the factors responsible for giving rise to distortions in production and marketing of farm produce, including staples, is also essential.​

 

[Saif]

Farm mechanisation needs to be targeted, sustainable

Experts at a workshop held recently put emphasis on the need for evidence-based policies that prioritize regional demands, improve governance in subsidy distribution, and create a supportive environment for local industries. They maintained that achieving sustainable agricultural mechanisation wou

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Farm mechanisation needs to be targeted, sustainable
Speakers opine at IFPRI workshop
FE REPORT
Published :
Dec 23, 2024 10:48
Updated :
Dec 23, 2024 10:48

Experts at a workshop held recently put emphasis on the need for evidence-based policies that prioritize regional demands, improve governance in subsidy distribution, and create a supportive environment for local industries.

They maintained that achieving sustainable agricultural mechanisation would require collaborative efforts, targeted financial interventions, and regulatory reforms to ensure equitable access and long-term viability.

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, convened the knowledge -- sharing workshop on "Agricultural Mechanisation in Bangladesh" at a local hotel.

The workshop presented IFPRI's preliminary research findings and fostered dialogue among policymakers, researchers, practitioners, bankers, and industry experts to enhance agricultural mechanisation.

Dr Akhter Ahmed, Country Representative of IFPRI-Bangladesh, emphasized the critical need for targeted and sustainable agricultural mechanisation.

Dr Md Mahmudur Rahman, Additional Secretary (PPC Wing), Ministry of Agriculture, as the chief guest at the workshop highlighted the critical importance of evidence-based research in shaping the future of agricultural mechanisation policies in Bangladesh.

IFPRI Research Fellow Dr Mehrab Bakhtiar and Associate Research Fellow Dr Moogdho Mahzab presented IFPRI's ongoing policy research on farm mechanisation in Bangladesh. The presentation highlighted critical insights from IFPRI's research on agricultural mechanisation in Bangladesh, focusing on the alignment of machine allocation with regional agro-ecological needs, governance challenges, and market dynamics. Key findings highlighted regional disparities in machine distribution, with some high-production areas being overlooked in the distribution process.

Dr Md Ayub Hossain, Former Director, Training and Communication Wing, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) stressed that agricultural mechanisation goes beyond distributing machines and must focus on effective utilization and farmer training.

Dr Imanun Nabi, Assistant FAO Representative (Programme), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) highlighted the need for nuanced policies to address challenges in mechanisation, particularly for smallholder farmers who cannot afford machinery independently.

Dr Ruhul Amin Talukder, Senior Policy Advisor at IFPRI and Former Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, skillfully moderated the discussion, offering profound insights into Bangladesh's agricultural policies.​

 

[Saif]

Time to recognise women's contribution in agriculture

Explore the challenges women face in agriculture and the urgent need for equal opportunities.

www.thedailystar.net

Time to recognise women's contribution in agriculture

Policies that validate women’s labour and ensure equitable access to resources have the power to transform agricultural systems.

Women's contributions in agriculture and their right to equal opportunities in this sector remain one of the most overlooked aspects of gender inequality. Perhaps this reflects a broader societal blind spot, particularly among urban communities that seldom look beyond their immediate realities to understand the silent struggles of women farmers. While issues of gender inequality in other domains receive widespread attention and advocacy, it is equally important to amplify the voices of those at the margins—voices that often go unheard in policymaking.

During a multistakeholder consultation in Bogura organised by the Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC), which was focused on the post-change expectations of the masses, a woman farmer highlighted a glaring injustice in agricultural policies, saying that women farmers are not always officially recognised as farmers, and therefore are mostly excluded from accessing farmer cards. This exclusion denies them essential benefits such as loans, quality fertilisers, and other agricultural services. For some women, the way to access these benefits is through cards issued in the names of their sons or husbands. However, this option is not viable for everyone—single women, widows or those seeking independence are left without recourse.

The demand for equal rights and recognition brought to light a stark reality: women who contribute significantly to agriculture are still almost invisible in policy frameworks. The consultation revealed not just the depth of this inequity, but also the gravity of ingrained gender bias in agriculture that perpetuates inequality, denying women the tools they need to thrive and holding back the broader development of the sector.

Despite women making up 26.2 percent of the total employed population in agriculture in Bangladesh, they remain far behind men in terms of access to resources, land ownership, and decision-making power. This marginalisation is not unique to Bangladesh—it reflects a global pattern where women's contributions to agriculture are systematically undervalued.

Even though 40 percent of women were expected to be included in the smart card programme, a study by the International Land Coalition found that only 30 out of 197 women surveyed across four districts of Bangladesh had access to farmer cards. This highlights significant policy failures in recognising women as farmers. During the PPRC consultation, it was evident that remaining excluded from the programme limited women farmers' access to loans, inputs, and market power, thereby perpetuating inequalities and undermining their livelihoods.

Even when women overcome social barriers to participate in agriculture, they face wage discrimination. According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), women farmers earn Tk 400-500 ($3-4) per day, compared to Tk 600 ($5) earned by their male counterparts. These disparities persist despite the labour law designed to ensure equality.

Land ownership is another critical issue. Globally, women own significantly less land than men, and in South Asia, only 4.8 percent of women in Bangladesh and 12.8 percent in India hold land. This limits women's ability to influence household and community decisions. Research shows that when women own land, they are more likely to participate in agricultural decision-making and contribute to community activities, leading to improved productivity and better outcomes for households.

The insights from the PPRC consultation prompted me to dig deeper into the gendered dynamics of agriculture. The challenges that women face are not due to inefficiency, but stem from inequitable access to resources such as family labour, high-yield crops, fertilisers, and technology. Closing these gaps would significantly boost agricultural productivity while empowering women.

Globally, women represent 43 percent of the agricultural labour force, yet they face systemic barriers that limit their contributions. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) underscores this disparity, reporting that women fall behind men in access to land, credit, services, and digital technology. Additionally, the burden of unpaid care work constrains women's opportunities for education, training, and employment. Social norms further reinforce barriers to resources and networks, stifling women's potential contributions to the agrifood sector.

Recognising the contributions of women in agriculture is crucial for achieving economic empowerment, strengthening food security, and improving nutrition outcomes. Policies that validate women's labour and ensure equitable access to resources have the power to transform agricultural systems. Empowering women in this sector is not merely a step towards achieving gender justice; it is a cornerstone of sustainable growth and long-term development.

The woman farmer from Bogura represents countless others whose voices remain unheard. Introducing initiatives such as farmer cards to formally recognise women as farmers is an essential first step. This recognition would open doors to critical resources like loans, high-quality inputs, and other agricultural benefits, enabling women to enhance their livelihoods and contribute more effectively to the country's agricultural economy.

However, recognition alone is not enough. Policies must dismantle systemic barriers that have long marginalised women, including wage disparities, insecure land rights, and restricted access to markets. Addressing these inequalities will not only bridge the gender gap but also unleash the untapped potential of women farmers, driving agricultural innovation and growth. Donor-funded initiatives that support agricultural development, microfinance, and innovative startups often incorporate gender and social inclusion principles as core components. While these efforts contribute significantly to reducing disparities, they address only part of the challenge. A more transformative impact requires a stronger focus on policy reforms and systemic changes to ensure long-term equity and inclusivity. Women farmers are not merely participants in agriculture—they are vital to its future. No farmer should remain invisible, especially not the women whose labour sustains our food systems and fuels the hope for a more equitable and prosperous agricultural sector.

Mahjabin Rashid Lamisha is research assistant at Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC).​

 

[Saif]

Farmers, consumers suffer for supply chain manipulation

THE growth in the agricultural sector has hardly benefited farmers and consumers. Because, farmers are denied fair prices for their produce and consumers need to pay exorbitant prices.

www.newagebd.net

Farmers, consumers suffer for supply chain manipulation
29 December, 2024, 00:00

THE growth in the agricultural sector has hardly benefited farmers and consumers. Because, farmers are denied fair prices for their produce and consumers need to pay exorbitant prices. The situation suggests a manipulative presence of intermediaries and hoarders who influence the market in the absence of adequate government intervention and oversight. For an example, growers of winter vegetables struggle to recover even the production costs and consumers in cities pay exorbitant prices. The difference between the price at wholesale markets in outlying areas and in the city kitchen markets is huge. Winter vegetables such as cauliflower and cabbage sell for Tk 1–2 a kilogram on the wholesale market in the north while they sell for Tk 40–50 a kilogram in city markets. Many farmers are reported to have left their produce to rot in the field as collecting and bringing them to the market means an additional cost. Many farmers say that they are likely to incur losses from Tk 20,000 to Tk 50,000 for produces on a bigha.

When it is understandable that a surplus supply of items, especially perishable items, brings down prices, what is inconsistent is that such a fall in prices almost never benefits consumers. Such a trend is evident in non-perishable items, too. Rice growers, for example, are also denied a fair price for their produce and are often forced to sell the produce for prices below the production cost. Market analysts blame the failure of the authorities to control the influence of intermediaries and hoarders on the supply chain. The government also appears to have failed to intervene in the agricultural sector in the forms of scientific forecast, uninterrupted supply chain and proper distribution system. The failure has led to surplus production of many crops and an unstable market, depriving farmers of fair prices. A manipulated supply chain leads, as an Agricultural Research Institute report says, to a waste of roughly a fourth of many perishable crops. The consumers also remain hostage to the routine manipulation of prices by hoarders and intermediaries. The influence of big agribusinesses is also what deprives both small farmers and consumers of fair prices as the entities, working in syndication, manipulate the market.

Small farmers are already in a precarious financial state because of the rising cost of living and many have taken out loans at a high interest rate for farm production. The authorities, therefore, need to ensure fair prices for the products and for that, they need to attend to supply and distribution chains and free them of the influence and manipulation of intermediaries and hoarders. The authorities should also come up with a better production forecast and inform farmers accordingly.​

 

[Saif]

Putting farmers' lives on the line

The news that 60 per cent of the country's cancer patients are farmers is highly concerning. Then why do the overwhelming majority of cancer patients come from the farming community? To go by the disclosure Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter made at a national dialogue, this is so "becau

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Putting farmers' lives on the line
FE
Published :
Jan 01, 2025 21:26
Updated :
Jan 01, 2025 21:26

The news that 60 per cent of the country's cancer patients are farmers is highly concerning. Then why do the overwhelming majority of cancer patients come from the farming community? To go by the disclosure Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter made at a national dialogue, this is so "because of their prolonged exposure to pesticides". Farmers do not take adequate precaution before mixing and spraying the pest-killing chemical substances on crops. They mishandle the poisonous chemicals with carcinogenic properties. What it tells about the agricultural practices in this country is, therefore, pathetic. Little educated or not at all educated, farmers who work their lands are mostly unaware of the danger of the exposure to pesticide and it is obvious the field-level agriculture officers have failed to inform farmers of the risk they run or if informed, could not convince the former.

Organised by the Bangladesh Agricultural Farm Workers Federation, the dialogue titled "Inclusive Labour Laws with International Standard and Legal Recognition of Workers in Agriculture and Informal Economic Sectors", focuses on a highly important but neglected issue. Although the title conveys the intended meaning, it would be correct to write 'Inclusive Labour Laws of international Standard'. The idea is to raise the country's labour laws to the globally accepted level and bringing the informal sector including agriculture under legal coverage. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics' latest estimate, 45.4 per cent of the country's total workforce is employed in agriculture but these workers do not have official recognition as such and fail to enjoy any benefit like their industrial counterparts. This is one of the reasons behind marginalisation of landless peasants and their migration to urban centres for livelihoods. That there is, of late, a shortage of agricultural labourers during sowing of seeds, planting and harvesting owes to the exodus of labour hands from villages to cities.

Agricultural labourers, unlike farm workers in developed economies, receive no training for their adaptation to new technology and application of inputs including chemical fertilisers and pesticides. There is no official campaign for putting on protective gears before handling and spraying pesticides in the crop field. The hired labourers certainly cannot afford such gears but if it was made mandatory for landowners to provide for such gears, the poor farmers did not have to suffer a dreaded disease like cancer due to exposure to the hazardous substances. When a person feels no hesitation to manually spray pesticides from a canister without using even a mask, it speaks volumes for the general ignorance and also indifference to workers' health and well-being.

Such callousness is unacceptable. Here the victims are the poorest people of society who have no means to afford costs of medical treatment of any serious disease, let alone cancer. Had there been formal recognition of their labour and their works involving in particular the application of harmful agents such as chemical fertilisers and pesticides, the poor peasants would not be exposed to those substances. Their chances of getting cancer from such exposure would be minimised. Again, legal coverage such as group life insurance can be introduced for meeting their medical expenses. If farmers became so aware of the danger, they could easily be convinced of the merit of using right doses of fertilisers and pesticides and also of the time gap so essential for harvesting crops. Thus the presence of fertiliser and pesticide residues in the food chain could be avoided to largely ensure food safety.​