Home ›› 31 Dec 2022 ›› Front
The country is likely to see around 176 lakh tonnes of Aman production in the ongoing season, much higher than the target set at 163.46 lakh tonnes by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
According to the DAE, farmers harvested 162.39 lakh tonnes of Aman in 54.4 lakh hectares of land till December 28. Of this, 159.39 lakh tonnes were Rupa Aman and 2.99 lakh tonnes were Bona Aman.
Rupa Aman was harvested in 52.03 lakh hectares and Bona Aman in 2.36 lakh hectares. Aman was cultivated in a total of 59.23 lakh hectares this season.
DAE data shows Aman production was 149.58 lakh tonnes in FY22, 144.38 lakh tonnes in FY21, 142.03 lakh tonnes in FY20, and 140.55 lakh tonnes in FY19.
Besides, Aman was cultivated in 57.2 lakh hectares in FY22, 56.26 lakh hectares in FY21, 55.6 lakh hectares in FY20, and 56.22 lakh hectares in FY19.
Aman will be harvested in another 4.83 lakh hectares of land next week, accounting for an additional yield of about 14 lakh tonnes, while the average per hectare yield is 2.98 tonnes, DAE officials said.
DAE Director General Badal Chandra Biswas told The Business Post timely and intensive irrigation had played a major role in the production boost.
“Seven lakh irrigation pumps were operational in the Aman season. No one can say there was a lack of irrigation. In some cases, irrigation was not needed as there was adequate rainfall,” he said.
During the cyclone Sitrang, there were fewer storms, but it rained for three consecutive days, which impacted production positively, he also said.
This year, the amount of chita (paddy containing no rice) was less than the previous years, which played a role in increasing the weight of the harvest, said the DAE official, adding the yield in coastal areas was higher this year.
High-yielding and hybrid Aman varieties were grown in more land this year compared to the past. Their yields were also higher.
Hybrid, high-yielding varieties see production boost
Among the Rupa Aman varieties, production of the high-yielding ones was 139.57 lakh tonnes in FY23, which was 124.59 lakh tonnes in the previous year.
Besides, hybrid varieties gave a yield of 13.29 lakh tonnes in FY23, up from 11.19 lakh tonnes last year. Local varieties produced 6.53 lakh tonnes, which was 11.08 lakh tonnes in the previous fiscal year. High-yielding Rupa Aman varieties were cultivated in 46.61 lakh hectares in FY23, which was 42.52 lakh hectares last year. Hybrid varieties were grown in 3.47 lakh hectares this year, which was 2.96 lakh hectares in FY22.
The yield of local varieties was low, which resulted in a production boost as these varieties give lower yields. Local Rupa Aman varieties were grown in 6.49 lakh hectares in FY23, down from 7.23 lakh hectares in the previous fiscal year.
Per hectare yield up
Per hectare yield reached 2.98 tonnes this year, which was 2.61 tonnes in FY22. Per hectare yield of Rupa Aman was 3.06 tonnes and that of Bona Aman was 1.27 tonnes.
Per hectare yield of hybrid varieties increased to 3.84 tonnes in FY23 from 3.77 tonnes in the previous year.
Besides, per hectare yield of high-yielding varieties rose to 3.11 tonnes in FY23 from 2.86 tonnes in FY22. Per hectare yield of local varieties grew to 1.78 tonnes in FY23 from 1.53 tonnes in the previous year.
Bona Aman’s per hectare yield increased to 1.27 tonnes in FY23 from 1.09 tonnes in FY22.
What farmers say
Farmers said the yield was high this season but production costs increased a lot due to diesel price hikes, an increase in tractor rents, and high fertiliser prices due to irregularities in distribution as well as corruption.
Last year’s rainfall was the lowest in 40 years, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.
“Due to less rainfall, no low-lying land was washed away, which increased production in my locality. On the other hand, production in the highland was good as irrigation was available,” Abdul Hadi, a farmer in Badarganj of Rangpur, told The Business Post.
“Though production increased, cultivation costs rose a lot. The price of a sack of urea fertiliser increased to Tk 1,100 from Tk 800. Besides, TSP prices rose to Tk 1,400 per sack from Tk 1,000 per sack and that of Potash reached Tk 1,000 per sack from Tk 700 per sack,” he explained.
He further said pesticide prices had increased by more than 100 per cent, adding tractor and irrigation costs were also high due to diesel price hikes.
“Though production increased, farmers were not benefitted in any way. Rather, they faced losses,” Hadi added.
