June 21, 2011

 

Bangladeshi farm expert reveals key to better crop output

 

 

Food production in Bangladesh could be boosted by improving the technical efficiency of the crop production system as well as minimising the post harvest losses of crops.

 

According to Prof BK Bala of the Department of Farm, Power and Machinery at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), considerable emphasis should be given not only on crop production but also on the post harvest operations to meet the increasing food demand of the country.

 

He said agriculture is the main source of livelihood of the rural people which constitute 75.4% of the country's population.

 

He said major food crops in Bangladesh are rice, wheat and corn, and according to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) figures, production of rice, wheat and corn in 2008 was 28.931 million tonnes, 844,145 tonnes and 1.346 million tonnes, respectively.

 

The average yields of rice, wheat and corn in the country are low as compared with the average yields elsewhere with similar agro-climatic conditions.

 

"There is ample scope of increasing the production of rice, wheat and corn through increased farm activities with technical efficiency. Also, there can be more food and feed available by minimising the post harvest losses," Prof Bala said.

 

Referring to the contribution of farming, the agriculture expert said Bangladesh is an agricultural country and agriculture contributes some 21.10% of the GDP. Inefficiency in crop production is the inability of the farmer to produce maximum possible output that can be produced with the resources available.

 

Increasing the technical efficiency in production is one of the means through which output can be increased and food security can be improved.

 

He observed that there is no scope for expanding land frontiers and further there is an increasing trend of diversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes. The only option remained is to increase agricultural production through the adoption of improved technology and efficient uses of available resources.

 

Prof Bala said one of the sources of food insecurity in the country is post-harvest crop loss. In Bangladesh, post-harvest crop losses are higher than the global average and affect more severely the already endangered livelihoods in the country.

 

He estimated that at least 10% of the crop productivity is lost during the post-harvest operations. This is mainly because most subsistence farmers do not have either the knowledge or access to appropriate post-harvest technologies.

 

"A wide range of existing food processing technologies is not accessible to and adapted by farmers in Bangladesh. Climatic conditions also contribute to crop losses. Floods, heavy rains, droughts and other related factors cause considerable post-harvest crop loss in the country," he added.

 

About the global food scenario, the agriculture expert said food security is a worldwide problem that has called the attention of the governments and the scientific community worldwide. It severely affects the developing countries.

 

"The scientific community has had increasing concerns for strategic understanding and implementation of food security policies in the developing countries, especially since the food crisis in the 70s," Prof Bala said.