Food security in focus as rice output target set higher

The global food security concerns, sparked by the supply uncertainties, prompted the government to set an enhanced rice production target in the current fiscal, mobilizing resources and extra efforts, officials said in Dhaka recently.
Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) officials said in line with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's directives they set a rice production target higher by 2.5 million tonnes during the current fiscal compared to that of 2021-2022.
"We are trying to promote new high yielding varieties (HYVs) of rice and some other crops including wheat and equip farmers with knowledge of new production techniques," DAE director general M Benjir Alam told BSS.
He said DAE extension officials, all being agriculturists, were asked to monitor the cultivation process and assist farmers with technical advices to fulfill the target of enhanced production of the country's main staple.
DAE officials said the current fiscal's rice production target was exceeded by now, thanks to enhanced aman and aus rice yields, which made them confident largely to set the target higher in the fiscal year 2022-23.
According to the DAE the country harvested 39.18 million tonnes of rice during the fiscal year 2021-2022 while the target set for 2022-2023 is 41.5 million tonnes.
Boro is the number one rice variety in terms of production, followed by aman and aus. Boro contributes 55 per cent to the total rice yield whereas aman and aus's stake is 38 per cent and 7 per cent, on an average.
The premier in several recent remarks called for enhanced production in view of the global economic turmoil and supply chain disruptions due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
"We must enhance food production also taking into account increasing population size," the DAE chief said.
DAE set the aush production target for the current fiscal at 3.7 million tonnes while the last year's production was 3.2 million.
Aman harvesting is still underway while the DAE forecasted surplus production of the variety this season, predicting the volume to be 16.34 million tonnes.
The last fiscal's aman output was 14.95 million tonnes.
DAE sets boro production target at over 21.53 million tonnes against last fiscal's 20.09 million tonnes of harvest.
The DAE director general said his office set the wheat production target for 2022-2023 at nearly 1.2 million tonnes while the last year's production was 1.08 million tonnes.
"We have simultaneously set enhanced production targets of other major crops like vegetables, potatoes, lentils, oilseeds, onion and different spices," Alam said.