Rice productivity to be doubled to ensure food security for growing population: Agriculture minister

Agriculture Minister Md Abdur Razzaque has said work is underway to double the productivity of rice to ensure food security for a population of around 20 crores by 2050.

"To meet the needs of the growing population from this declining land, rice productivity needs to be more than doubled," he said at a programme arranged for the presentation and uncovering the strategy paper titled "Doubling Rice Productivity in Bangladesh (DRP)" at Hotel Sonargaon in the capital on Wednesday.

Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRI) formulated this strategy paper on the occasion of the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Md Abdur Razzaque said that on the one hand, the arable land is decreasing in the country, on the other hand, the population and the risk of climate change are increasing.

He further said both the income and purchasing power of people will increase in 2050, and consumption and demand for food will go up.

"Ensuring food security in this situation is a big challenge. Emphasis is being put on increasing production by inventing technologies as well as reducing yield gaps. Emphasis is also being laid on nutritional development of paddy, and safe food production for nutritional security," he said.

Mentioning that the DRP strategy formulated by BRI will serve as a guideline to double the productivity, Dr Razzaque said scientists have formulated a very fine, structured, and precise action plan.

"Earlier, the cooperation of foreign experts or foreign agencies was required to formulate such a strategy like DRP. It would have cost a lot. It is a great achievement made by our agricultural scientists," he added.

Speaking as the special guest, State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam said the plan to double the productivity of rice in the DRP is not a dream, it is achievable and realistic.

"For the existence of the country, it is essential for the people. Productivity needs to be more than doubled," he added.

Dr Md Shahjahan Kabir, director-general of BRI, presented the keynote paper on the occasion.

He said the DRP is an integrated model wherein paddy yields will continue to increase, uncultivated and fallow lands will come under cultivation, agricultural mechanisation will take place at a massive rate, quality of paddy will increase, the fair price of paddy and rice will be ensured, and the risk in paddy production will be reduced.

It is the result of two years of relentless work by 40 researchers, he added.

According to the presentation, DRP is a strategy to ensure the security of rice for 30 years. The strategy paper outlines where to invest, and what initiatives need to be taken to double rice productivity by 2030.

It said, through integrated initiatives, it is possible to increase rice production to 4.69 crore tonnes in 2030, 5.40 crore tonnes in 2040 and 6.8 crore tonnes in 2050. In fiscal 2020-21, the country produced 3.87 crore tonnes of rice.

According to the book, if 75% of this action plan can be implemented, the country will have a surplus of 42 lakh tonnes of rice in 2030, 53 lakh tonnes in 2040, and 65 lakh tonnes in 2050. As a result, even if rice production is reduced by 40 lakh tonnes per year due to any disaster, food security will remain intact.

In fiscal 1971-72, the average production of rice per hectare was a little more than one tonne. At present, the average production of rice per hectare is more than four tonnes.

Rev: Moin