BD may miss Boro output target in FY \\\'14

The country is likely to miss the Boro production target this fiscal year (FY) due to an acute water crisis in the 'Teesta Barrage Project' area which covers nearly 0.2 million hectares of land, officials and experts said.
They said random water extraction at the Teesta upstream by the Indian government is the only reason behind the current disastrous situation.
The country has targeted to have 18.9 million tonnes of rice this FY at 4.8 million hectares of land in the season of Boro, the major crop that contributes some 57 per cent of rice grain, an official at the ministry of agriculture (MoA) said.
He said rice production in other two seasons was outstanding as the country got 13.023 million tonnes and 2.3 million tonnes of rice respectively from the two cropping seasons in FY 2013-14.
"The rain-fed Aman and Aus farming showed good yields thanks to favourable weather this year," he said.
He said, "Boro, which is being cultivated in nearly 4.8 million hectares of land annually, totally depends on supplementary water -- either of ground or of river."
He said nearly 0.2 million hectares of land in Rangpur, Nilphamari, Lamonirhat, Gaibandha, Joypurhat and Bogra districts has come under Boro farming in Teesta Irrigation Project area this year.
"The farmers this year may face a crop failure due to scarcity of water. Production may decline by 60 to 70 per cent in the project area," he said.
"This year water withdrawal by India has reached its climax. Water flow reduced to a record 350 cusecs against a need of 3,500 cusecs," he said.  
Crop specialist Dr MA Sobhan said it is the tilling period of Boro rice plant when water is badly needed.
He said production rate in Teesta barrage area is higher than that of other areas in northern Bangladesh.
"Rice yield here is 5.0+ tonnes per hectare when national output rate is hardly 4.1 tonnes per hectare in Boro season," he pointed out.
He said any crop failure in Teesta barrage area means a reduction in total output.
Dr Sobhan said Boro production may reduce by 0.25-0.3 million tonnes due to the water scarcity in Teesta Barrage area.
"It is tough and costly to manage supplementary water for the farmers in the area," he said.
However, sources at Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) said water in Teesta irrigation canal has dropped down to 350 cusecs against a need of at least 3,500 cusecs in March.
The volume of water in Teesta drops steeply in December-March as India holds almost all the water during that period, an official of Teesta Irrigation Project said.
He said they cannot open the sluice gates of the irrigation canal everyday due to such lower flow of water.
He said, "We need more water if we want to run the irrigation project."
Former director general of the state-run Water Resource Planning Organisation (WARPO) Md Enamul Hoque said water extraction by India is affecting Bangladesh twice -- firstly, it is hitting hard agriculture and ecology and secondly it is creating obstacle to water recharging of ground aquifers.
He said: "Water flow in the Teesta used to be at least 4,000 cusecs in February-March before India built the Gazoldoba Barrage in the 1980s and started to divert Teesta water for irrigation".
He said, "The river has a history of an average flow of at best 0.28 million cusecs and at least 10,000 cusecs at Dalia, Nilphamari upstream of the Teesta Barrage in Bangladesh."
"Due to increasing withdrawal in the upstream, this flow has come down to about 1,000 cusecs to even 350 cusecs in the dry season," he pointed out.
"India's irrigation plan with the Teesta is massive, covering about 0.92 million hectares of land in Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda districts," he said.
"India diverted its water towards the Teesta Irrigation Project areas and has been releasing a large quantity of water towards Bihar through the Mahananda and Mechi rivers," he added.
Bangladesh constructed the Teesta Barrage in 1990s (1990-2003) to supply water for irrigation to about 0.63 million hectares of land in 24 upazilas under Nilphamari, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Joypurhat, Gaibandha and Bogra districts.