Crop Diversification in the Asia-Pacific region - United Nations in ...

these zones are needed to exploit the existing potentials of the following areas: (a) the uplandin the hilly areas of Chittagong, Chittagong Hill Tracts and Sylhet, (b) the wetland in greaterMymensingh, Sylhet, Jessore, Pabna, Rajshahi, etc., and (c) the coastal areas of the southernpart of Bangladesh. Each requires a distinct set of policies, strategies and programmesbecause of differences in agro-ecological environment. Research, extension and inputdelivery will be so designed as to meet the specific requirements of these special agroecologicalzones.Rainfed Farming: Crop production in Bangladesh is predominantly monsoon dependent.Of the total rainfed areas, about 3 million ha is estimated to be prone to severe drought. Theentire Barind and Modhupur Tracts, constituting about 12 percent of the total arable area arecharacterized by soils of shallow depth having low moisture holding capacity and heavy subsurfaceclay. Crop production in these areas and in the Gangetic flood plains is mainlydependent on rainfall and on the inundation from the Ganges river and its tributaries.However, for the whole of the Ganges belt, including the Barind and Modhupur Tracts, norainfed farming practice specially suited to the prevailing soil and agro-climatic conditionhas yet been developed. There is, therefore, an urgent need to develop drought tolerant cropvarieties and drought mitigating technologies that will make maximum use of the landresources of the rainfed farming systems. Rainfed farming practices will also includesupplementary irrigation which will help increase crop production during the Kharif season.Wetland Farming: Large areas of wetland commonly known as beels, baors and haors inthe greater districts of Sylhet, Mymensingh, Jessore, Rajshahi and Pabna hold quite highpotentials for the development of crop agriculture and fisheries. Crop agriculture and fishproduction can be carried out simultaneously. Besides, preservation of biodiversity of thewetland will be given high priority. Greater attention will be given during the Fifth Five YearPlan to exploit the potentials of crop agriculture and fisheries through the provision of asituation specific package of development programmes for research, extension, input supply,etc.Coastal Farming: Coastal areas in the southern part of Bangladesh constitute a specificecological zone having specific problems and possibilities. Cyclones, tidal bores, salinity,etc., affecting agricultural output frequently visit these areas. Therefore, there is need fordeveloping a salinity resistant variety of rice, for example, for these areas. Coconut, betelnut, palm and mangrove are major cash crops in these areas. Location specific research,extension and other programmes will be developed and provided for the purpose ofexploiting the potentials.Hill Farming: The upland in the hilly areas of the greater Chittagong district, Chittagonghill tracts and Sylhet district constitute a special agricultural zone requiring location specificservices and programmes. High potentials exist for the production of fruits, spices andvegetables in these areas. Agricultural development potentials in these areas are quitesubstantial. Resources will be provided to develop appropriate technologies that are suitablefor upland agriculture.Cropping Intensity: Bangladesh has, by 1996/97, achieved an estimated cropping intensityof about 185 percent. Out of the net cropped area of 7.6 million hectares, about 55 percent isdouble cropped and approximately 15 percent triple cropped. However, about 30 percent isstill single cropped. Since all the suitable land is already under cultivation, raising theintensity of land use is needed. It is expected that cropping intensity will reach 192 percent14