Bangladesh sees amazing maize yield

Bangladesh’s annual maize output hit a record eight-fold increase 56.63 lakh tons this year, which is 2.61 lakh tons up from last year’s production, thanks to farmers’ gaining higher profit margins, right policy support and a burgeoning feed industry.

With the expanded cultivated land, increased in per hectare yield as well as total production, Bangladesh has continued to achieve all round growth in maize production for more than a decade.

Riding on phenomenal success in maize production growth, Bangladesh is now looking to further expand the acreage and output of the country’s second biggest cereal crop after rice and tap the export market within the next five years.

The Agriculture Ministry now envisages a plan to increase maize production to 10 million tons by 2025, thereby turning Bangladesh into a maize exporting country from an importing one.

According to the Department of Agriculture Extension, during the fiscal year 2020-21, the volume of maize production in Bangladesh amounted to over 56.63 lakh tons which is 2.61 lakh tons up from last year’s production. There was also a constant growth in production of this crop for the last five years. In the fiscal year-2015-16, total maize production was 27.59 lakh tons while the overall production was increased by 105 per cent or 19 lakh tons in the last five years.

The country has witnessed a gradual growth in per hectare maize production every year since 2015-16. In 2015-16, per hectare yield was 6.97 tons which reached to over 10 tons in FY’ 21. Per hectare production has increased by 44% in five years. However, per hectare production was 9.74 tons in FY’ 20.

Area of maize cultivation has also increased constantly since FY’ 16. In the FY ‘21 farmers cultivated maize on 5.64 lakh hectares of land which is 44 per cent up from 3.95 lakh hectares in the FY 2015-16. In the FY; 20, maize was cultivated in 5.54 lakh hectare of land across the country.

According to the officials of DAE, the government has put emphasis on maize production and increased the land area for maize cultivation as it has a good demand in the country.

Apart from a huge demand in the growing poultry feed industry, the government is now also encouraging the use of maize with wheat in Atta production. The government has already given permission for mixing maize with Wheat in Atta production.

According to the DAE, Dinajpur ranked top position for maize production in the last fiscal year. The northern district yielded 7, 77, 342 metric tons of maize in 71, 000 hectares of cultivated land. Followed by Chuadanga with production of 5, 00, 681 metric tons in 46, 575 hector of land, Thakurgaon with 4, 30, 877 tons in 35, 260 hector of land, Panchagor with 3, 25, 296 tons in 30,120 hectare of land while Lalmonirhat with 3, 18,098 tons in 30,880 hector of land.

These five districts together produced 23, 52, 294 tons of maize which is 42 per cent of national production in the last fiscal.

“We gave many incentives to the maize cultivators such as seed and fertiliser. Wheat and maize are similar in nutritious value. But maize cultivation is more profitable than wheat. That’s why, we are encouraging maize cultivation in the country, said Md Asadullah, director general of DAE while talking to The Business Post.

“Farmers are cultivating maize in such land which is not suitable for Boro rice cultivation and most of the farmers are shifting to maize from the wheat cultivation,” he added.

Why is Maize important for Bangladesh?

According to Bangladesh Poultry industries central council, feed production increased by 40 per cent in the last four years to 65.68 lakh tons in 2020 from 38.97 lakh tons in 2017. Maize along with soybean, accounted for 80 per cent of ingredients of poultry and fish feed while Maize alone accounted for 50-60 percent. Annual demand of animal feed is around 64 lakh metric tons.

However, in FY’ 20, the feed industry imported 20 lakh tons of maize from abroad.

“Poultry and fish feed industry, poultry industry and fish production heavily dependent on Maize. In other words, meat, eggs and fish, the main sources of protein depend on maize,” said Debashish Nag, an advisor of Feed Industries Association Bangladesh while talking to The Business Post.

“We import maize as local production is not sufficient enough to meet our full demand. Maize is not only used only in the feeding industry but also being used in Atta production following government permission for mixing maize with wheat in Atta production,” he said.

“But the fact is, the import will come down if we can increase our local maize production further,” he added.

However, as all the maize seeds are hybrid, farmers need to buy seeds every year from traders. And the seed market is totally import dependent so far.

According to Bangladesh Seed Association, the country’s annual need is 6705 metric tons of hybrid seeds while yearly hybrid maize seed supply is 6,510 metric tons.

Private sector supplies 100% of seed. Of those, 98 per cent seeds are imported from India and Thailand and the remaining two per cent seeds are locally produced.

And thus, seed businesses are also getting benefits from the increased maize production.