Bangladesh's rice imports surged to a seven-year high in the last fiscal year (FY25) of 2024-25, driven by a shortfall in domestic production, according to official data.

Rice is at the heart of Bangladesh’s economy, culture, and food system.

Rice production in Bangladesh grew for the sixth consecutive year in fiscal year (FY) 2022-23 as farmers expanded cultivation areas of high-yielding varieties (HYV) and hybrid rice in place of local varieties.

A Bangladeshi scientist named Dr Abed Chowdhury has recently discovered a new production method in which four additional varieties of rice for different seasons can be cultivated on a single tree. Named by Dr Chowdhury as 'Panchabrihi', this new type of rice production method can be achieved without needing to completely remove the tree after the harvest. 

Land use for rice cultivation in Bangladesh is likely to decline in marketing year (MY) 2023-24, which began on May, forecasted the US Department of Agriculture at the end of last week. 

Saiful Islam has lately been busy preparing his five bighas of land to grow paddy. But he reckons he will have to spend Tk 25,000 more than he did last season for the cultivation as the cost of just about everything has gone up.

The rice production growth in Bangladesh is slowing as the room for a further expansion of modern high-yielding varieties (HYVs) has squeezed amid reducing cropped area and growing use of agricultural land for non-farm purposes. 

While the government is banking on a good harvest of Boro paddy to bolster its grain stock, experts fear a sole focus on local production may not help ensure the country’s food security in the foreseeable future.