Monday, November 13, 2017

Crop Diversification in Bangladesh

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Crop diversification is the new form for sustainable production in the sector of agriculture. It is the move from present crop or cropping system to another crop or cropping system for making more benefit. It is very important step for the development of economy in Bangladesh.
This country is suitable for practicing crop diversification due to favorable climate and soil conditions for the production of a variety of crops throughout the year. For spreading out diversification in crop, A crop diversification project was started its journey in this country during the early 1990s. After taking the project, a culture is gradually developing for the cultivation of different crops in rotation with rice. This practice is being developed progressively based on the farmer’s choice and performances of crops with respective soil and climatic conditions.
Rice and wheat are now substituted by maize since it can be grown throughout the seasons. Besides, food, feed, fodder, fuel and oil are got from maize. The yield potential was low before but the situation is changing due to the use of modern high yielding hybrid varieties. The yield is very good at present. According to BBS, the average yield is 7.3 t/ha in 2015-16 which was only 2.06 t/ha in 2000-01. BBS have also shown that the area of maize cultivation is increasing every year. It was about 4860 ha in 2000-01. But the area of cultivation under maize is about 334,977 ha in 2015-16. Besides maize, the cultivation of other coarse grains like bajra and millets are also running which have considerable importance in the case of using water resources and developing agro-industries.
The climate and soil of this country is suitable for the production of a large variety of fruits and vegetables. Some of the grown fruits like mango, banana, pineapple, jackfruit, etc. have export demand. Seasonal nature of this country is the main problem for fruit cultivation. However, the area and production of fruit is increasing day by day. The total area and production of fruit is 1.5 lakh hectare and 4.8 million metric tons in 2015-16 (BBS).
Potato is a prominent crop in Bangladesh due to its production and domestic demand. It is a suitable crop for food security during rice scarcity due to its high carbohydrate content. It is also used as a vegetables by the people. As it is a short duration crop, the increased use of this crop can reduce the dependency on rice and wheat. The cultivation of this crop is increasing every year. The farmers of this country are cultivating high yielding variety instead of local variety to grow more than previous. The total area and production of potato is 4.8 lakh hectare and 9.5 million metric tons in 2015-16, respectively.
Sweet potato is known as a subsistence as well as a food for poor people. Its area and production is more or less same in last few years. According to BBS, the area and production of sweet potato is about 25 thousands hectare and 2.6 lakh metric tons in 2015-16.
There are six major pulse crops in Bangladesh which are lentil, khesari, blackgram, mungbean, chickpea, and pigeon pea. Cowpea grows well in Chittagong area. The cropped area and production of these pulses is increasing gradually due to their protein supply to the human diet and nitrogen fixation for soil nutrition. BBS has shown in its report that the total cropped area and production of pulses is 3.7 lakh hectare and 3.78 lakh metric tons in 2015-16.
Oilseeds are very important crops due to the source of vegetables oil. Mustard, groundnut, sesame, linseed, soybean, coconut and other oilseed crops are grown in this country. But the cultivation area and production of mustard is higher than any other oilseed crops. Besides mustard, groundnut is cultivated in a significant area.
There are some cash crops namely jute, tea, tobacco, cotton and sugarcane which are grown in this country. Jute is an important cash crop in Bangladesh. It is grown almost all over the country. The area and production of jute is 6.8 lakh hectare and 7.5 million bales in 2015-16 (BBS).
Tea is one of the most important cash crop in Bangladesh due to its value as export crop. It plays a vital role in the national economy. This crop has created a lot of employment opportunities for the people. The area and production of tea is 60 thousands hectare and 64500 metric tons in 2015-16 (BBS). Tobacco is another important cash crop in this country. It grows well in sandy soil which should be well aerated and well drained. It is mainly grown in Kushtia and Rangpur regions.
Cotton is also an important cash crop in Bangladesh. The yield of seed cotton has reached in reasonably high level, although the yield is lower than world standards. But the area and production is increasing day by day. Sugarcane is the most important crop in the country due to sugar industry. It can be grown as a 12-15 month crop in a two year rotation with Aus rice and oilseeds, wheat or vegetables. The yield and quality of sugarcane is relatively low as compared to world standards. But the yield rate is increasing day by day for using improved variety, better management of water resources, fertilizers and other inputs and also for improved cropping systems. According to BBS, the yield of sugarcane is 42.8 tons per hectare in 2015-16.
Crop diversification is a strategy for the sustainable agricultural growth. This is based on changing the nature of agriculture from high risk monsoon based to lower risk irrigation based cropping system. It is done by sustaining the growth of rice production and emphasizing and stimulating other crops which are high valued. This strategy is advancing forward in this country with time by the farmers for their own benefits.










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