Socio-economic Baseline Survey of Chittagong Hill Tracts - chtdf

HDRCSocio-economic Baseline Survey of Chittagong Hill Tracts81households are more involved in growing these crops compared to Bangalee households.About 14% of indigenous households grow arum and only 1% Bangalee households do thesame. Similarly, about 15% indigenous and less than 1% Bangalee households cultivatebinny paddy. About 10% indigenous and 5% Bangalee households grow winter vegetables.About 8% of CHT households grow banana. Around 12% of indigenous and 2% of Bangaleehouseholds cultivate the same. Among the indigenous communities about 48% of the Bawms,38% of Mros, 30% of the Khumis, 14% of the Marmas, 12% of Tanchangyas and 9% of theChakmas reportedly grow Banana. Details about the cropping pattern are presented in Table10.2.10.4 Productivity by types of cultivationAnalysis of survey data shows that productivity of crops under field cropping is substantiallyhigher in CHT compared to the average national scenario. For example, Bangladesh harvestspaddy about 27 maunds per acre (source http://www.moa.gov.bd/statistics/Table3.01CY.htm)and in CHT an average farm household produces paddy about 34 maunds per acre using fieldcropping type of agriculture, while in case of jum culture the production is about 15 maundsper acre. It is to note that among the Bangalees the productivity of paddy under field croppingas well as jum is higher compared to that among the indigenous communities (Table 10.3).An average indigenous household grows about 30 maunds of paddy per acre from their fieldcropping plots, while an average Bangalee household grows over 39 maunds per acre.However, the Chaks and Khyang households produce over 42 maunds and 40 maunds ofpaddy respectively from an acre under field cropping. The other indigenous communitiesgrow less than the reported amount. Similarly, an average indigenous household collectsabout 15 maunds of paddy in their jum fields and the Bangalees collect about 21 maunds ofthe same in their jum fields. The Chaks, the Khyangs, and the Chakmas have reportedlyharvested higher paddy harvest from their jum plots (31 maunds, 29 maunds and 25 maundsper acre respectively). The Marmas also have collected 20 maunds of paddy per acre.