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The nation is witnessing a shift in its agricultural landscape as imports of essential food staples such as wheat, maize, onions, potatoes and various pulses are on the rise, marking a growing dependence on international markets.
This issue coincides with a decline in domestic agricultural production. Notably, items such as potatoes, tomatoes, and green chillies, which previously featured prominently on the exportable items' list, are now being imported, marking a dramatic reversal in food production and trade dynamics.
Analysts blame the continuous reduction of arable land, crop damages sustained from various natural disasters, and farmers not getting the proper price for agricultural products.
At the beginning of the 2023-24 fiscal year, the country witnessed a sudden shortage of potatoes in its markets, which doubled the prices. To fare with the situation, the government decided on October 30, 2023, to approve the import of potatoes from neighbouring countries.
Since the import approval, more than 97,000 tonnes of potatoes have been imported into Bangladesh in eight months (November-June) of FY24.
However, until FY23, potatoes were one of the most prominent exportable products of the country.
In July of FY24, traders were allowed to import green chillies and tomatoes to increase the supply and reduce the vegetables' prices in the local kitchen markets.
In a year since the approval, about six lakh tonnes of tomatoes and some 29.5 thousand tonnes of green chillies were imported into Bangladesh.
Agricultural economist and former vice-chancellor of Global Village University Jahangir Alam said that the production data of agricultural products, including potatoes, is being inflated. Instead of doing this, actual information should be ensured so that the government can plan to increase production.
He said, "Potato production has not been increasing significantly for the past two years. As potato consumption continues to rise, the amount of surplus potatoes is decreasing. If the surplus decreases, traders get an opportunity to make a profit.”
“This causes price volatility, which is happening now. Therefore, there is no alternative to increasing production if the surplus of potatoes is to be increased," he warned.
A list comprising import data of 13 types of agricultural and food products released from the Ministry of Agriculture shows that the import of 10 products increased in FY24 compared to FY23.
The remaining three products have slightly decreased compared to the previous year's records.
In the recently concluded FY24, 66.62 lakh tonnes of wheat, the country's second most popular staple, was imported. The import amount stood at 50 lakh tonnes in the previous FY23, meaning that wheat import increased by 32 per cent in just a year.
In contrast, the country's wheat import was 55.79 lakh tonnes in FY22.
The maize imports stood at 3.84 lakh tonnes in FY24, increasing from the 2.16 lakh tonnes in FY23. The total import of lentils was 5.29 lakh tonnes in the recently concluded fiscal year; the figure stood at 5.22 lakh tonnes in the previous FY23.
Onion imports have decreased from about 7.5 lakh tonnes to approximately 6 lakh tonnes. However, the import of garlic, turmeric and cumin has increased.
In the recently concluded fiscal year, garlic imports increased by 6,000 tonnes to one lakh tonnes.
In addition, turmeric imports increased by 3,000 tonnes to 30,000 tonnes, and the import of cumin increased by 8,000 tonnes to 33 thousand tonnes.
However, in FY24, the imports of chickpeas and ginger decreased. The import of chickpeas was 1.80 lakh tonnes in FY24 and 3 lakh tonnes in FY23.
Besides, ginger imports stand at 89,000 tonnes, down from 1.41 lakh tonnes in the previous financial year.
