Agriculture in Bangladesh

Agriculture is the largest employment sector in Bangladesh, making up 14.2 percent of Bangladesh's GDP in 2017 and employing about 42.7 percent of the workforce. The performance of this sector has an overwhelming impact on major macroeconomic objectives like employment generation, poverty alleviation, human resources development, food security, and other economic and social forces. A plurality of Bangladeshis earn their living from agriculture. Due to a number of factors, Bangladesh's labour-intensive agriculture has achieved steady increases in food grain production despite the often unfavorable weather conditions. These include better flood control and irrigation, a generally more efficient use of fertilisers, as well as the establishment of better distribution and rural credit networks.

Although rice and jute are the primary crops, maize and vegetables are assuming greater importance. Due to the expansion of irrigation networks, some wheat producers have switched to cultivation of maize which is used mostly as poultry feed. Tea is grown in the northeast. Because of Bangladesh's fertile soil and normally ample water supply, rice can be grown and harvested three times a year in many areas. The country is among the top producers of rice (third), potatoes (seventh), tropical fruits (sixth), jute (second), and farmed fish (fifth). With 35.8 million metric tons produced in 2000, rice is Bangladesh's principal crop. In comparison to rice, wheat output in 1999 was 1.9 e6t.

Population pressure continues to place a severe burden on productive capacity, creating a food deficit, especially of wheat. Foreign assistance and commercial imports fill the gap. Underemployment remains a serious problem, and a growing concern for Bangladesh's agricultural sector will be its ability to absorb additional manpower. Finding alternative sources of employment will continue to be a daunting problem for future governments, particularly with the increasing numbers of landless peasants who already account for about half the rural labour force. Other challenges facing the sector include environmental issues: insecticides, water management challenges, pollution, and land degradation all effect the agricultural system in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is particularly vulnerable to climate change, with extreme weather and temperature changes significantly changing the conditions for growing food. Adaptation of the agricultural sector is a major concern for policy addressing climate change in Bangladesh.

Food crops
Although rice, wheat, mango and jute are the primary crops, rice and wheat are mostly main crops or food crops of some countries. Due to the expansion of irrigation networks, some wheat producers have switched to cultivation of maize which is used mostly as poultry feed. Tea is grown in the northeast. Because of Bangladesh's fertile soil and normally ample water supply, rice can be grown and harvested three times a year in many areas. Due to a number of factors, Bangladesh's labour-intensive agriculture has achieved steady increases in food grain production despite the often unfavorable weather conditions. These include better flood control and irrigation, a generally more efficient use of fertilizers, and the establishment of better distribution and rural credit networks. With 28.8 million metric tons produced in 2005–2006 (July–June), rice is Bangladesh's principal crop. By comparison, wheat output in 2005–2006 was 9 million metric tons. Population pressure continues to place a severe burden on productive capacity, creating a food deficit, especially of wheat. Foreign assistance and commercial imports fill the gap. Underemployment remains a serious problem, and a growing concern for Bangladesh's agricultural sector will be its ability to absorb additional manpower.

Food grains are cultivated primarily for subsistence. Only a small percentage of total production makes its way into commercial channels. Other Bangladeshi food crops, however, are grown chiefly for the domestic market. They include potatoes and sweet potatoes, with a combined record production of 1.9 million tons in FY 1984; oilseeds, with an annual average production of 250,000 tons; and fruits such as bananas, jackfruit, mangoes, and pineapples. Estimates of sugarcane production put annual production at more than 7 million tons per year, most of it processed into a coarse, unrefined sugar known as gur, and sold domestically.

Rice
Rice is Bangladesh's primary crop and staple food, dominating agricultural production, employment, nutritional intake, and contributing substantially to national income. Since 2019, Bangladesh ranked as the third-largest producer of rice globally, reaching about 39.1 million tonnes in 2023. Rice is cultivated in three distinct seasons, with the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute playing a significant role in researching and developing methods to improve its production.

Wheat
Wheat is the second major food grain of Bangladesh. While historically not a major crop in Bangladesh, domestic wheat production hit a record high of 1.5 million tonnes in 1985, although still accounting for only 7 to 9 percent of total food grain production. Since then, wheat production in Bangladesh has remained stagnant, with annual production of about 1 million tonnes, falling significantly short of the demand of 7 million tonnes. The shortfall is met through imports, which have exceeded 6 million tonnes, amounting to $1.4–$2 billion in imports annually. Wheat imports constitute the majority of imported food grains in the country. About half of Bangladesh's wheat is grown on irrigated land.

Coffee
Bangladesh currently cultivates two varieties of coffee, namely Robusta and Arabica, in large scale in the hilly districts: Bandarban, Khagrachhari, Rangamati, and Moulvibazar, while experimental cultivation takes place in Tangail, Rangpur, and Nilphamari, which feature flat terrain.

Despite meeting 95 percent of its coffee demand through imports, the country produced 55.75 tonnes of coffee on 118.3 ha of land in the fiscal year 2019–2020, with approximately 2,000 farmers engaged in coffee farming across seven districts of the country as of 2023. The government has initiated projects aimed at promoting commercial coffee cultivation by providing training to interested farmers and establishing workshops and research centres in this regard.

Coffee cultivation in independent Bangladesh, considered an emerging industry, commenced in the 1990s when the government distributed a limited number of coffee saplings to farmers in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region for experimental purposes. Subsequently, private initiatives were undertaken to commercialise coffee production. In the early 19th century, British entrepreneurs established a coffee company in Chittagong, which flourished alongside tea plantations, but faced opposition from tea-focused investors and local resistance, ultimately leading to its decline and the loss of Chittagong's coffee cultivation legacy.

Cashew
Cashew nut cultivation primarily occurs in hilly areas of Bangladesh, with ongoing efforts aimed at expanding production to plains, including areas such as Jessore District. The country produces approximately 1,500 tonnes of cashew fruits annually, engaging over 2,000 farmers in its cultivation. To encourage cashew production, the government has initiated projects and distributes free saplings among farmers.

As of 2021, there are 12 factories across the country processing approximately 300 tonnes of cashew nuts each year. According to government officials, Bangladesh imports about 5,000 tonnes of raw cashew nuts. Additionally, 700 tonnes of processed cashew nuts are brought in annually, with plans to import raw nuts in large quantities and re-export after processing.

Edible Oil
Mustard oil production in Bangladesh rose by 3.35 lakh tones to 11.52 lakh tones this year, according to the agriculture ministry. Mustard oil output worth Tk 3,000 crore in Bangladesh.

Insecticides
National sales of the classes of insecticide used on rice, including granular carbofuran, synthetic pyrethroids, and malathion exceeded 13,000 tons of formulated product in 2003. Insecticides not only represent an environmental threat, but are a significant expenditure to poor rice farmers. The Bangladesh Rice Research Institute is working with various NGOs and international organisations to reduce insecticide use in rice.