Rice yield to rise this year: USDA

Bangladesh's total rice acreage and production may rise in the year 2016-17 on increased aman harvest and prospect of higher boro plantation and yield, US Department of Agriculture said yesterday.

The agency raised its forecast on rice production by 80,000 tonnes to 34.58 million tonnes from aus, aman and boro harvest this year.

Total rice acreage has been projected to rise to 11.76 million hectares, up from 11.68 million hectares forecasted in October last year.

“Although aus rice area was affected by floods and rains, sources report that timely rainfall, favourable weather, and effective distribution of inputs such as fertiliser may make this an abundant aman rice harvest this season,” the USDA said in its latest Global Agricultural Information Network Report on Bangladesh.

It said boro rice plantation is on schedule as forecast.

The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) of the government targets to ensure rice plantation on 4.8 million hectares to bag 19.15 million tonnes of rice this season.

The target for total rice production has been fixed at 34.98 million tonnes for fiscal 2016-17.

Aus output declined 7 percent to 2.14 million tonnes in the current fiscal year due to a fall in acreage, according to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Though data on aman, the second biggest crop after boro, is yet to be finalised, millers and agriculture workers said farmers recorded a good aman harvest. Rice area rose 2 percent year-on-year to 5.69 million hectares during the aman season, according to preliminary data of the DAE.

During the current boro season, farmers prepared seedbeds in an area that is much higher than the DAE's target.

Until February 6, rice has been planted on 3.5 million hectares against the target of 4.8 million hectares for the ongoing season, said a senior official of the DAE.

The USDA kept wheat production prediction unchanged at 1.35 million tonnes for the current cultivation season.

The agency, however, raised Bangladesh's wheat import estimate by 6 percent to 5 million tonnes. It said import forecast has been increased on higher demand and lower world prices of the grain.

The USDA also lowered rice import forecast to 50,000 tonnes for increased tariff on import from the beginning of this fiscal year.