Agriculture in Bangladesh

Poultry farming in Bangladesh is the process of keeping various types of birds for meat, egg, feather, or sale. In Bangladesh, poultry birds are primarily used for meat and egg consumption.

The weather in Bangladesh is perfect for raising poultry, with several types of poultry birds having been domesticated for many years. As of 2017, about 300 billion taka was invested in the poultry industry, with an estimated 150,000 poultry farms in Bangladesh.[10] From 2 to 4 March 2017, Poultry Science Association Bangladeshi branch held the tenth International Poultry Show and Seminar in Bashundhara Convention centre, Dhaka, Bangladesh.[11] By 2019, significant further investments were noted in the sector. The farms produce 570 million tonnes of meat and 7.34 billion eggs annually.[12] Poultry feed is primarily made from imported soybean and soy meal.[13] The per capita consumption of meat and egg in Bangladesh remains below the level recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization.[14] The impact of Avian Influenza in 2007 and the COVID-19 pandemic has been detrimental to the poultry and associated feed industry in Bangladesh. The outbreak in 2007 resulted in the closure of two-thirds of all farms in Bangladesh. In March 2023, poultry farmers urged the government to set chicken and egg prices for the local market, highlighting the industry's significance in the country's economy[15] Notable figures in the poultry sector include Late Syed Hedayetullah and Phanindra Nath Saha, who developed the poultry sector with Aftab Bahumukhi Farms.[16]

As of the end of 1987, prevailing methods for culturing shrimp in Bangladesh were still relatively unsophisticated, and average yields per hectare were low.[17] In the late 1980s, almost all inland shrimping was done by capture rather than by intensive aquaculture.[17] Farmers relied primarily on wild postlarval and juvenile shrimp as their sources of stock, acquired either by trapping in ponds during tidal water exchange or by gathering from local estuaries and stocking directly in the ponds.[17] Despite the seemingly low level of technology applied to shrimp aquaculture, it became an increasingly important part of the frozen seafood industry in the mid-1980s.[17] The shrimp farming industry in Bangladesh has been handicapped by low-quality and low prices.

The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank financed projects to develop shrimp aquaculture in the 1980s.[17] Much of the emphasis was on construction of modern hatcheries.[17] Private investors were also initiating similar projects to increase capacity and to introduce modern technology that would increase average yields.[17] The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has provided assistance to the shrimp and fishing industry in meeting fish safety and quality control standards based on the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) approach.[18]

Shrimp in the wild are associated with mangrove. Mangrove estuaries such as those found in the Sundarbans of southwestern Bangladesh are especially rich productive ecosystems and provide the spawning grounds for shrimp and fish.[19] Intensive shrimp farming often involves conversion of mangrove stands to brine ponds where shrimp are grown.[20]

Bangladesh is an important tea-producing country. It is the 12th[21] largest tea producer in the world. Its tea industry dates back to British rule, when the East India Company initiated the tea trade in the hills of the Sylhet region.[22] In addition to that, tea cultivation was introduced to Greater Chittagong in 1840.[23] Today, the country has 166 commercial tea estates, including many of the world's largest working plantations.[24][25] The industry accounts for 3% of global tea production, and employs more than 4 million people.[26]

The tea is grown in the northern and eastern districts, the highlands, temperate climate, humidity and heavy rainfall within these districts provide a favourable ground for the production of high quality tea.[26]

In most countries like Bangladesh, yields from rain-fed agriculture was predicted to be reduced to 50% by 2020. For a country with increasing population and hunger, this will have an adverse effect on food security. Although the effects of climate change are highly variable, by 2030, South Asia could lose 10% of rice and maize yields, while neighboring states like Pakistan could experience a 50% reduction in crop yield.

As a result of all this, Bangladesh would need to prepare for long-term adaptation, which could be as drastic as changing sowing dates due to seasonal variations, introducing different varieties and species, to practicing novel water supply and irrigation systems.[30]^: 230 Bangladeshi farmers have been adapting to rising water levels by making creative floating gardens which mesh water hyacinth plants with bamboo and fertilizer to provide a sturdy floating platform for agriculture, according to climate researcher Alizé Carrère.[31]

Being an agrarian society, people of Bangladesh are greatly dependent on various forms of agriculture. It is the main source of rural job in the country having over 87% people somewhat related to agri-based economy.[32] In 2016, according to World Bank, agriculture contributed to 14.77% of country's GDP. A steady increase in agricultural production with the use of modern equipment and scientific methods, agriculture has been a key driver to eradicate rural poverty in Bangladesh. The risk of sea level rising and global warming is the biggest challenge not only to country's agricultural improvement but also the success on poverty reduction.

As agricultural production is heavily related with temperature and rainfall, the current change in weather conditions is creating negative impact on crop yielding and the total area of arable land has been decreased. According to a report published by the Ministry of Environment and Forests - GoB, 1 degree Celsius increase in maximum temperature at vegetative, reproductive and ripening stages there was a decrease in Aman rice production by 2.94, 53.06 and 17.28 tons respectively.[33] Another major threat deriving from this factor is water salinity which directly affects rice production especially in the coastal part of Bangladesh. The same report state that, the country will lose 12-16% of its land if the sea level rises by 1 meter. These challenges lead to food scarcity and insecurity for the huge populace of the country. There are several adaptation measures which are practised to cope up with the abnormal behaviour of climate such as: resilient varieties of crops, diversification, change in cropping pattern, mixed cropping, improved irrigation facility, adopting soil conservation, agroforestry and so on.[34]

A number of these measures have already been adapted by the government of Bangladesh and well practised throughout the country. The Bangladesh Rice Research Institute has introduced a varieties of saline tolerant rices like BR-11, BR-23, BRRI rice -28, BRRI rice -41, BRRI rice -47, BRRI rice -53 and BRRI rice -54. In the drought prone areas, BR-11, BR-23, BRRI rice -28, BRRI rice -41, BRRI rice -47, BRRI rice -53 and BRRI rice -54 are used which take short time to cultivate. To make the best and efficient utilization of water the Department of Agricultural Extension has introduced 'Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD).[33] The government also provide financial support to the affected farmers from different disasters and hazards

The Ministry of Agriculture (Bengali: কৃষি মন্ত্রণালয়; Kr̥ṣi mantraṇālaẏa) is a ministry of Bangladesh.[35] The ministry is the apex body for formulation and administration of the rules, regulations and laws related to Agriculture in Bangladesh.