Hybrid rice wins back popularity
Hybrid rice cultivation has picked up after four years of downturn owing to higher prices of paddy.
The area under hybrid rice rose 3.5 percent year-on-year to 6.35 lakh hectares in the immediate boro season. Output also has increased, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
“Farmers allocate more land for those crops that give them good prices. As the price of paddy rose, so did their interest in hybrid rice,” said Mohammad Masum, chairman of Supreme Seed Company, a leading seed producer and marketer.
Cultivation in fiscal 2013-14 reversed the downward trend that continued since fiscal 2008-09. Hybrid rice gives 20 percent higher yields than the traditional inbred varieties.
The appeal of hybrid rice earlier faded among many farmers because of its low market demand, according to seed marketers.
Stakeholders said hybrid rice becomes sticky after cooking and falls behind the dominant inbred varieties -- BRRI Dhan-28 and BRRI Dhan- 29 -- in terms of taste.
Masum said the price gap between hybrid and inbred varieties declines when there is buoyancy in paddy market. The reduced price gap may be a reason for the recent rebound in hybrid rice cultivation, he said.
Furthermore, the prices of hybrid rice seeds also did not increase much in the last decade, he said, adding that it could be another reason behind the farmers' renewed interest.
Masum went on to tip the sales of hybrid rice seeds to increase ahead of the next boro crop season.
The revival of hybrid rice cultivation contributed to the growth of the overall seed market, now worth upwards of Tk 1,000 crore.
Now, more than 100 public and private firms, including some nongovernmental organisations, sell seeds, mainly hybrids of rice, maize, vegetables and spice, through 18,000 registered dealers.
Private seed companies and traders have more than 90 percent of the stakes in the hybrid segment of seeds, according to operators.
However, Asadul Amin Dadan, general secretary of Bangladesh Seed Association, said the rebound in hybrid rice cultivation during the last boro season does not reflect that farmers are returning.
“It is a positive sign. But, we should not conclude that farmers are switching back on the basis of data for a single year. On many occasions, it has been seen that farmers grew hybrid rice after failing to get their preferred inbred seed varieties timely.”
Anwar Faruque, director general of the agriculture ministry's seed wing, said the public attitude towards hybrid is changing.
“Once, perception regarding hybrid was not positive. It appears that the mindset is changing due to growing cultivation of hybrid vegetables and their availability throughout the year.”
Increasing acreage of hybrid rice will release farmlands for growing other crops, he said.
Asked what steps the government has taken to protect farmers from losses for using low-quality seeds supplied by sellers, he said: “We will take steps to settle the issues on a case-to-case basis.”
Despite repeated complaints from farmers of being cheated by unscrupulous traders who sell substandard seeds, currently, government's monitoring and surveillance in seed market remains weak, according to stakeholders.
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