Bangladesh’s rice production and stock satisfactory

At a time when people are worried about the possibility of food shortage in the country, as the UN has warned the world about the possibility of multiple famines as the most devastating effect of the novel coronavirus pandemic, it is reassuring to learn that Bangladesh has sufficient food grains in stock to feed its people for the next six months. According to experts and government sources, after the bumper Boro harvest across the country, the nation is unlikely to face any cereal shortage in the near future.  

In the fiscal 2018-19, Boro accounted for 54 percent of total rice production while Aman brought 38 percent and Aus contributed the rest 8 percent to the annual rice basket. Thus, after the Boro harvest is complete, if proper incentives can be given to the farmers to encourage cultivation of Aman and Aus, we can also have bumper Aman and Aus harvests, unless there is any natural calamity. The good news is, the agriculture ministry has already declared Tk 9 crore of incentive to provide seed and fertiliser to small and marginal farmers to encourage cultivation during the Aus season. The government has also reduced irrigation charge by half for the pumps owned by Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation.

According to the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Bangladesh's annual consumption requirement of rice is 3.5 crore tonnes and last year's total production was higher than the estimated demand. Besides rice, our wheat production is also satisfactory. Until May 11, rice stock at public godowns was 9.97 lakh tonnes and wheat stock 2.82 lakh tonnes. Thus, there is little chance that we will face any cereal shortage in the coming days.

So, the government should now focus on ensuring sufficient production of other food items including fish, livestock and vegetables, and their adequate supplies in the market. Fish farmers and vegetable growers have been facing a hard time as they are unable to sell their produce because of a lack of buyers and transport crisis created by the shutdown. With efficient handling of all these issues, we can hope that the country will not face any food crisis during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.