Maclean et al. - 2002 - Rice almanac source book for the most important e

land from traditional varieties to MVs is the main
source of growth in rice production and yield. The
present average rice yield of about 3.4 t/ha
increased at 2.2%/yr from 1990 to 2000. Rice
production reached 36 million t in 2000, an
increase of 2.5%/yr over the last decade, and
5%/yr over the last five years in spite of a
devastating flood in 1998.
Production constraints
Sustainability is always a problem wherever
intensified cropping systems are practiced and
crop residues are removed for fuel and feed. Cow
dung, a traditional source of fertilizer, is being
diverted to meet an acute shortage of fuel in rural
areas. The use of chemical fertilizers has
increased rapidly along with the spread of MVs,
from 11 kg NPK/ha in 1970 to 110 kg NPK/ha in
2000. With the removal of fertilizer subsidies in
the late 1980s, fertilizer use became unbalanced,
with too much use of N and too little P, in
response to an unfavorable trend in the relative
price of P and K, which are mostly imported.
Drought is a frequent problem, but
supplemental irrigation during the late monsoon
could alleviate it. Subsurface groundwater is
available almost everywhere in the country.
Irrigation by small-scale tube wells and low-lift
pumps began in the late 1970s when government
control over the procurement and distribution of
modern agricultural inputs was abolished. The
spread of tube wells has increased more rapidly
since the late 1980s when the importation of
agricultural machinery was liberalized. In 1999,
rice constituted nearly 80% of the total irrigated
area; 70% is irrigated with shallow tube wells and
power pumps owned and operated by farmers.
Overexploitation of groundwater is becoming an
environmental concern with adverse effects on
the supply of drinking water; there are suspected
links to arsenic-contaminated water.
Flooding occurs annually, but causes serious
damage only about once every 10 years. Normal
flooding is simply a part of the ecosystem and
helps to maintain soil quality. The flood-prone
areas are ideally suited for boro rice, as water is
available during the dry season and the cost of
irrigation is low.
Soils in coastal areas are affected by salinity.
Most soils are low in organic matter (many less
than 0.5%) and consequently low in N. Zinc and
S deficiencies are common; replacement amounts
of P and K are insufficient.
Marketing infrastructure is adequate for rice
but inadequate for other agricultural commodities,
especially perishables. The prices of both rice and
nonrice crops fluctuate seasonally because of the
lack of access to international markets and
occasional good or poor harvests that affect the
demand-supply balance within the economy. The
price of rice is now too low to provide incentives
to farmers to sustain growth in production. When
food grain production approaches self-sufficiency,
farm-gate prices of rice go down quickly. A
policy to move stored grain routinely into market
channels and replace it with fresh stocks is
needed to stabilize rice prices.
The main challenge to food self-sufficiency
in Bangladesh is sustainability of production in
view of the many man-made, biotic, and abiotic
constraints. Population is a bigger problem than
food production inasmuch as food production is
basically keeping pace with population growth.
Population density is 900 persons/km 2 , one of the
highest in the world. Bangladesh has made
notable progress in population control since the
late 1980s. The 2001 population census reports a
growth rate of 1.6%/yr from 1991 to 2001
compared with 2.4%/yr for 1981-91.
Production opportunities
Rice research and development are effective, but
could be streamlined with more effective linkages
between research and extension.
Among the measures that would help
stabilize rice supply and encourage agricultural
growth are the spread of shorter-duration MVs to
intensify cropping; further development of
drainage and irrigation facilities; development of
varieties tolerant of salinity, drought, and
submergence to raise productivity in coastal and
flood-prone areas; and reducing the yield gap in
irrigated areas with the spread of knowledgeintensive
crop and natural resource management
practices.
100 Rice almanac