Climate change adversely hits winter crop output
Sunday, 27 January 2008
Naim-Ul-Karim
Climate change as a result of global warming has adversely hit the production of major winter crops including wheat, potato and onion in the country, analysts said.
"Total acreage under winter crops cultivation and the yield rate have been decreasing during the last few years mainly due to less severity of the cold weather and shortened period of the season," Shadiul Islam, director for field survey in DAE, told the FE.
The acreage of winter crops cultivation area has been shown a sliding trend by at least 15-20 per cent over the period, as farmers do not get the expected output any longer, the official said.
The yield rate of some major winter crops including wheat, mustard, potato, onion and pulse declined by about 10-12 per cent, the official added.
"We cannot rule out any further possibility of flood in July this year following the changes in nature due to global warming," Ainun Nishat, country representative of Swiss-based International Union for Conservation of Nature, told the FE.
He said temperature of Bangladesh has gone up by 0.8 per cent on average over the last few years due to global warming casting adverse effect on the country's agro-farming sector.
Nishat said the country's temperature will go up by over 2.0 per cent by next 50-60 years if the current trend of global warming continued.
"We think its high time for us to think how we can face challenges emerging due to global warming," said Imamul Huq, chairman of the Department of Water, Soil and Environment in Dhaka University, said.
Cruel manners of nature that create a right environment for increased attacks by Aphids, a small insect that sucks plant juices, mainly caused the decline in production of winter crops.
He said: "We observed from soil test that natural fertility of land in Bangladesh is dwindling due to changes in biodiversity."
Climate change as a result of global warming has adversely hit the production of major winter crops including wheat, potato and onion in the country, analysts said.
"Total acreage under winter crops cultivation and the yield rate have been decreasing during the last few years mainly due to less severity of the cold weather and shortened period of the season," Shadiul Islam, director for field survey in DAE, told the FE.
The acreage of winter crops cultivation area has been shown a sliding trend by at least 15-20 per cent over the period, as farmers do not get the expected output any longer, the official said.
The yield rate of some major winter crops including wheat, mustard, potato, onion and pulse declined by about 10-12 per cent, the official added.
"We cannot rule out any further possibility of flood in July this year following the changes in nature due to global warming," Ainun Nishat, country representative of Swiss-based International Union for Conservation of Nature, told the FE.
He said temperature of Bangladesh has gone up by 0.8 per cent on average over the last few years due to global warming casting adverse effect on the country's agro-farming sector.
Nishat said the country's temperature will go up by over 2.0 per cent by next 50-60 years if the current trend of global warming continued.
"We think its high time for us to think how we can face challenges emerging due to global warming," said Imamul Huq, chairman of the Department of Water, Soil and Environment in Dhaka University, said.
Cruel manners of nature that create a right environment for increased attacks by Aphids, a small insect that sucks plant juices, mainly caused the decline in production of winter crops.
He said: "We observed from soil test that natural fertility of land in Bangladesh is dwindling due to changes in biodiversity."