Pulses Production in Bangladesh Status and Drivers for Enhancement Introduction
Methods
Priority of agriculture today has been shifted towards nutritional security of growing population. Demand for diversified food items is a new challenge to agriculture. On the other hand the development of climate smart agriculture added to the development agenda that the science is focusing today. Pulses are considered as the protein of the poor as they have lesser access to animal proteins. Thus, the pulses are essential components of the daily diets of the people of Bangladesh, and supplies of pulses are met by importing and local production in the country. Bangladesh has been a deficit in pulses for considerable years, though recent development of short duration, high yielding varieties of pulses mostly Mung, Blackgram (mashkalai), and Lentil (musur) by the research institutions, namely Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) and Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) made it possible to reduce the local production deficiency. Technology generated by BARI and with overall coordination of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) helped to introduce one leguminous crop between rice in the rice based cropping pattern. These short duration varieties are not only high yielding but also resistance to major pest and disease. During 2007-2013, total seven varieties of pulses were released by BARI and BINA, mostly known as climate smart options. There has been so far 68 varieties released by BARI, BINA and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU). Collaboration with the international agencies viz., International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) played an important role in the development. This breakthrough has helped the farmers to grow one additional crop and enhance farm income. The pulse based value chain has emerged as a better production environment in major pulse growing areas.
The data and information related to pulses production was consulted from publicly available sources viz., BBS, BARC, BARI, ICRISAT, ACIAR, ICARDA and FAOSTAT.
Objectives 1. Review the present status of pulses production. 2. Outline major key drivers for its development and adoption with a brief reference to its past trend in agricultural output, 3. Identify constraints, and challenges in the coming years. 4. Recommend strategies to enhance pulses production. Source: Flickr/ICARDA
Source: Flickr/ICARDA
Area and Production of Pulses in Bangladesh 900 800 700 600 500
Area '000, Acre
400
Produ, 000 tons
300 200 Data Source: BBS 2014
100 0 2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
Results and Discussion In Bangladesh, there is an increase of about 25% in per capita availability of pulses in 2013 (56 g/capita/day) compared to 1992 level (45 g/capita/day). Among the pulses, the lentil crop ranks first as consumer preference and second in terms of area (154,000 ha) and production (116,000 t). Pulse production rose faster in 2012-13 by 11 percent compared to 5 percent in the previous year. But, due to biotic and abiotic stresses, competition with rice area and socio-economic factors the production was lower. The area under pulse crops has declined while the area under rice production has increased. With the project based technological intervention, along with improved seed, the production and yield of lentil had increased by 45% over the last five years. In the line of policy directives of crop diversification and nutritional improvement, Bangladesh government is doing all its efforts for increasing the pulses production. It had launched a seed production project for producing climate resilience and pest resistance varieties for sustainable food production. The short duration varieties developed recently helped the farmers to grow pulses crops in relay cropping which otherwise would remain fallow after the rain-fed rice cultivation. The improvement of local germplasm as biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, imparting training on improving cultivation. It was reported in different studies that the drivers for increased production and adoption of improved varieties are better extension services and awareness building of its benefit of cultivation, lesser production cost, market opportunity, and support of peers and family members. Thus, there is a need for a national campaign for enhanced pulse production through various programs, including stimulating value chain actors, community seed bank of improved quality supply. The farmers should be trained with the new ICT tools and modern technologies as technologies have had a tremendous change in agriculture. Different demand-led technologies and information have helped farmers to improve the quality seed, proper fertilization, irrigation, harvesting, and preservation.
Conclusions Bangladesh has been a deficit in pulses and oilseed for many years. However, with the development of short duration and high yielding varieties pulses are adding additional income and at the same time providing bio-fuel and animal feed. This development could be considered as an incentive for the poverty reduction and women's employment. Intervention through ICTs in disseminating modern varieties and other production technology to the larger scale is badly needed for further expansion of pulses. Besides quality seeds, if the Department of Agricultural Extension and different rural advisory services like Farmer Field Schools provide farmers with right information at the right time, farmers could get right direction in cultivating pulses and marketing and the pulse production could be increased for self sufficiency by 2030.
Name & Contact
Susmita Das, Senior Documentation Officer, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council, Dhaka 1215
[email protected] Wais Kabir, Former Executive Chairman, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council, Dhaka 1215.
[email protected]
