Home ›› 13 Sep 2021 ›› Editorial
Rice is not just the staple food of the Bengalis. The food and the crop are central elements to Bengali identity. Many things have changed in the lives of Bangladeshis over the years but rice remains one constant. Rice contributes two-thirds of the total caloric need of the country and is the source of half of the country's protein intake. A Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics study reveals that crops and horticulture's share is about 10 per cent of the gross domestic product, with half coming from rice. There are many references scattered across Bengali texts describing rice as the primary food item in Bengali diet.
A government report of the 1940s shows that in order to survive, 3600 calories were required daily, and a large section of Bengali population received 3500 calories from rice itself. Besides boiled rice, different kinds of puffed rice such as muri, khoi, and flattened rice also fulfilled and continue to fulfil the daily needs of the common Bengalis.
In Bengali culture “eating rice” is often synonymous with “having a meal”. The bengali word “anna” mean both “rice” and “meal”. The expression – “Have you eaten rice?” – is a polite way to inquire, “Have you had your lunch or dinner?” This everyday language points to the overwhelming significance of rice in Bengali culture. Every traditional ceremonial feast has servings of aromatic rice delicacies such as polao (pilaf) and payesh (rice pudding). Complex rituals are associated with rice, from sowing to harvesting. The winter harvest is marked by the “new rice” (nabanna) festival. This festival is followed by a month-long ceremony of Poush-Parban in which several varieties of rice sweets are prepared. Rice is always the first food to babies when they start eating solids. Nearly 5,000 years ago, paddy cultivation came to Bengal from Southeast Asia and rice became a major calorie resource of Bengali daily life.
Since independence the population of this country has increased two-and-half times but rice production has increased more than three-and-half fold which reflects the success story of rice scientists, extension agents and farmers Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) is a one of key contributors behind this tremendous achievement.
In 2015, BRRI has formulated Rice Vision for 2050 and beyond; estimating projected rice requirement for 2030, 2041 and 2050. The projected requirements are 36.5, 42.0 and 44.8 million tons respectively, to meet the demand of 180, 203 and 215 million people. To achieve these milestones, our production target would be 40, 44 and 48 million tons respectively, having a surplus of about 3.0 MT per year. Using our high yielding new varieties and new technologies we got the momentum and already exceeded the production target. For example, during the last ten years (2009-19), rice production has increased @ 0.6 MT year-1 and this year it will be even more than expecting rate.
According to recent statistics of USDA, Bangladesh has had the highest average rice yield in South Asia and at per world standard. During 2019-20 production years, Bangladesh is going to clinch third place beating Indonesia in global rice production with an increased output of 38.54 million tons enabling surplus of 4.0 MT meeting requirements for 167.0 million people including 1.2 million ROHINGYA refugees. Bangladesh has emerged as a global model for combating hunger and obtained great success in becoming a country of food surplus from chronic food shortages. At the time of its independence in 1971, it was beyond anyone’s imagination that a tiny piece of land in the South Asian region called Bangladesh will perform so tremendously that it will exceed several domestic as well international agencies’ targets on economic performance.
Initially, BRRI’s main target was to produce more rice in less land and feeding the ever increasing population of the country. But with the increase of per capita income and socio-economic condition demand and taste of the people have been changed. Now, they prefer slender and nutritious rice. Moreover, Bangladesh will have to fulfil the goals of SDG by 2030 and one of the important goals of SDG is doubling the productivity along with nutritious and safe food. So, BRRI has given special emphasis on producing nutrient enriched and export quality premium rice varieties. With yield and yield contributing attributes scientists are giving more importance to nutrient attributes in on-going and future rice research and development plan.
In the Gene bank of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) about 4500 indigenous rice varieties of Bangladesh origin and 3500 collected varieties are preserved. Apart from BRRI, few non-government organizations are also involved in conservation and research on indigenous rice varieties. Unfortunately, many indigenous rice varieties of Bangladesh have completely disappeared or on the way of extinction. The main reason is the substantially higher yield and profitability of improved varieties compared to the traditional ones.
Rice has a long shelf-life and can be stocked and the price can potentially be manipulated. There are about 800 semi-automatic and automatic rice mills operating in the country. While the agencies concerned have so far failed to detect the presence of any syndicate as such there remains a possibility of millers acting in unison and keep the mill gate price high.
There is a history here of millers, middlemen and wholesale traders manipulating the whole process of procurement and marketing to make sure there is a hefty profit for them. They have never shown any qualms regarding the practice and even the pandemic has not been an exception to the rule. There are allegations that the millers exert a pressure on the government not to what they term as interfering with the trading system of food grains. There were seasons when cultivators were forced to sell their produce incurring losses. The government's procurement drives have often been half-hearted and failed to give farmers the benefit they so rightly deserved. In spite of having bumper production and continued import price hike of rice is unusual.
There have been occasions when authorities concerned had said that Bangladesh is self-sufficient in rice production and government was thinking of exporting it. However, the reality is different. Rice production has been hampered due to recurring natural disasters. Government and private sectors are importing rice. Government even had to cut import duty to control the market price of rice.
We appreciate the government’s plan of doubling rice production to 6.08 crore tonnes by 2050. Naturally enough the process of doubling rice production will be a gradual one. A report by this newspaper stated that according to a government plan, the country will produce 4.69 crore tonnes of rice by 2030, 5.40 crore tonnes by 2040 and 6.08 crore tonnes by 2050. The target has been set by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) which has been at the forefront of the massive increase of rice production since its inception in October, 1970. The government plan said the production target will achieved using high yield varieties and technologies, reducing production gap and increasing cultivation on bare lands.
In order to increase the production of rice and food crop in general, the country should concentrate to develop the entire cultivation chain --from seedling production to harvesting crops, long-term storage of surplus rice, export facilities, conduct research through a public-private partnership to diversify rice-based products and market development.
We appreciate the plan to double the production of rice; along with productivity ensuring nutritious and safe food is essential. Special emphasis needs to be given on producing nutrient enriched rice varieties. Scientists ought to give adequate importance to nutrient attributes in on-going and future rice research and development plan. BRRI will have to develop more salinity and drought resistant high yield varieties of rice and other food crops.
The writer is Senior Assistant Editor at The Business Post
