the Symposium on Wheats for More Tropical Environments - cimmyt

59Wheat Production in Bangladesh:Its Constraints and Research PrioritiesA.B.S. Hossain, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute,Joydebpur,Dhaka,BangladeshWheat production in Bangladesh hasincreased substantially since 1975.both in tenns of production area andyield (Table 1). Wheat is now cultivatedon about 570.000 hectares. with aproduction of one million tons. Before1975. little wheat was grown and <strong>the</strong>varieties were low yielding (0.8 tlha).disease susceptible. tall and latematuring. Total production was onlyabout 0.1 million tons. When <strong>the</strong>perfonnance of semidwarf. highyieldingvarieties was found to besatisfactory. an ambitious wheatprogram was initiated in 1975-76 byimporting seeds of high-yieldingvarieties (HYV) from India to replaceTable 1. Wheat production in Bangladesh,1967-68 to 1982-83Year1967-681968-691969-701970-711971-721972-731973-741974-751975-761976-771977-781978·791979·801980-811981-821982-83Area(ha)77,800117,300119,900126,000127,300120,200123,500126,100150,100160,000188,900264,700433,200591,200534,412567,000Averageyield Production(t/ha) hons).744 57,900.786 92,200.862 103,305.872 109,000.899 113,195.745 89,500.884 109,200.911 114,8701.430 214,7001.596 255,4001.813 342,5001.971 486,2001.869 809,7001.8191,075,2001.776 949,0001.8701,061,000local varieties. Fifty-nine percent of <strong>the</strong>150.000 hectares planted that yearwere planted with HYV. Production wasapproximately doubled. from 114.000tons in 1974·75 to 215.000 tons in1975-76. Within five years. <strong>the</strong> wheatarea increased about five times andproduction. about nine-fold. At present.HYV occupy 98% of <strong>the</strong> area underwheat cultivation.Reasons for SuccessThe introduction of high-yieldingvarieties and <strong>the</strong> adoption oftechnologies for better managementand seed preservation. generatedthrough research in <strong>the</strong> mid-1970s.helped Bangladesh to become a wheat·growing country. Fanners wereinterested in growing HYV when <strong>the</strong>yobserved three to four times more yieldas compared to local varieties; also.wheat could be grown more easHy inresidual soH moisture or under partiallyirrigated conditions. As compared toboro rice cultivation. three to four timesmore land could be irrigated with <strong>the</strong>same amount of irrigation water. Thecost of cultivation was less. along withreduced problems of weed competition.disease and insect pests.Wheat is sown in <strong>the</strong> winter months•from mid-November to mid-December•and is harvested in mid-March. Duringthis period. most of <strong>the</strong> lands hadpreViously been idle. after <strong>the</strong> harvestof transplanted and broadcast amonrice. Fanners are using this opportunityto grow wheat as an additional crop onthis type of land. There is no problemfor growing <strong>the</strong> subsequent crop. juteor aus rice. after <strong>the</strong> harvest of wheat.Source: Bureau of Statistics, Governmentof Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh