Govt unveils plan to double rice production by 2050

The government has set a target to doubling rice production to 6.08 crore tonnes by 2050.

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, prepared by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), was unveiled at a programme titled “Doubling Rice Productivity in Bangladesh” in Dhaka on Wednesday.

Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque was present at the event as chief guest while BRRI Director General Shahjahan Kabir presented the plan.

The government plan said the production target will achieved using high yield varieties and technologies, reducing production gap and increasing cultivation on bare lands.

“This is a strategic paper of food security for next 30 years. In which, where to invest, what initiatives have to be taken has been described,” Shahjahan said during the presentation.

BRRI also expects that if the plan gets implement by 75 per cent, country will have 42 lakh tonnes of surplus rice in 2030, 53 lakh tonnes in 2040 and 65 lakh tonnes in 2050.

“If country witness any natural disaster and experience the loss of crop by 40 lakh tonnes, food security will remain sustainable. By this initiative, Second goal of Sustainable Development- zero hunger, will be achieved,” the plan details said.

At the same time, the plan will also ensure enhancement of yield through breeding advancement, use of biotechnology, hybridization, and conserving genetic resource.

“Yield maximization will be achieved by improving soil quality, water quality and availability, insect and pest management and disease control,” it added.

Speaking at the event, Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque said, “Per hector yield has to be doubled. The government has been working to achieve high yield. Beside rice production, nutrition and food safety has to be ensured by using this strategic plan.”

“However, the country witnessed rise in rice production four times in last 50 years. Per hector yield was just above 1 tonnes during FY1971-72, which reached to over 4 tonnes in last fiscal,” he said.

Use of unexplored lands

The plan also noted that the country will potentially be able to produce 0.83 million tonnes rice in 2030 and 1.06 million tonnes in 2050 by exploring unexplored lands.

State Minister for the Ministry of Planning Shamsul Alam said, “We are losing agricultural land by 0.8 per cent each year. Our per hector yield is 2.74 tonnes, which need to be increased to 3.74 tonnes if we want to remain the current production volume stable by 2050. Only after that, we have to think about other things.

“Currently, per hector rice yield in Vietnam is 5.74 tonnes and 5 tonnes in Japan. But our yield is only at 2,074 tonnes. We have to increase our production for our existence,” he said.

He stressed on big farming, change of farming patterns and establish sustainable market mechanism to aid rice production in the country.

Labour productivity

Labor productivity will double by 2029 as per the BRRI plan. It intends to increase labour productivity by introducing farm mechanization and reducing human labour. In one hand, genotype improvement will increase production; on the other hand mechanization will hasten the work. It will reduce labour but increase productivity.

Meanwhile, yield loss will be decreased to 13.05 per cent in 2030 and 7. 10 per cent in 2050 from the base line figure 20.61 per cent in 2015 under the plan.

The plan also laid emphasis on service provider development, one stop service, environmental and capital market risk management, ensuring fair price, policy support and so on.

Similarly, it also said limitations in resource, such as land and water, population increase, land occupying by other crops, vulnerability to climate change, financial turmoil, political upheaval, and pandemics are the main challenges in achieving the goal.