May 25, 2012

 

Bangladeshi wheat crop grows 2.57%

 

 

Boosted by favourable weather, the wheat yield in the major growing regions of Bangladesh grew slightly last winter to about 2.57% to 9.95 lakh tonnes in the current fiscal year from last year, according to data from Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

 

Crop area, however, shrank, reflecting a consistent switch of growers to other winter crops such as corn, potato and other vegetables.

 

Wheat acreage fell 4.19% to 3.58 lakh hectares in the last winter season from the previous winter, according to the data.

 

But yield per hectare rose to 2.78 tonnes in the last harvest from 2.60 tonnes in the previous season.

 

"A relatively prolonged cold spell in winter has played a key role in higher productivity per hectare," said Naresh Chandra Deb Barma, principal scientific officer of Wheat Research Centre at Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI).

 

Seed availability in major wheat growing areas especially northern region was also a positive factor, he said.

 

Over the past decade, wheat acreage and yield came down to almost half amid continuous shifting of farmers to other winter crops for higher profits.

 

But industrial and home consumption of cereal has increased, leading to a surge in imports.

 

Bangladesh annually consumes almost 40 lakh tonnes of wheat. Of which, 30 lakh tonnes are imported.

 

Imports slumped this fiscal year due to last year's higher carryover stock in private storages.

 

Wheat import fell 56% to 14.74 lakh tonnes in the 10 months through April from the same period a year ago, according to data from the Directorate General of Food.