Monocropping must be avoided

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TRADITIONAL agriculture -- centering mainly on the production of food grains -- has served a purpose, no doubt, in feeding the growing population of Bangladesh. But this singular emphasis on food grain production is also costing dearly the country in different ways. It has created the necessity or urgency of crop diversification.
Monocropping or production of only food grains in the same land round the year causes loss of soil fertility. However, such fertility loss can be avoided if rotation of crops or planting different crops at different times on the same land is practised. Besides, the singular pursuit of food grain production leads to underproduction of cash crops and increases the country's import dependence for those products. For instance, from an exporter of spices, Bangladesh has turned into a net importer of the same as croplands progressively were used less and less for spice cultivation. Oilseeds or their oils are imported to meet the needs of cooking oil. But once upon a time, Bangladesh was self-sufficient in oilseeds to meet its entire consumption requirements.
There are important crops -- such as cotton and rubber -- the cultivation of which can substantially reduce import dependence. Experiments established that cotton of the finest quality can be produced in some areas of Bangladesh. The country's main export commodity at present is ready-made garments (RMG). But value-addition in the RMG sector at present is only 25 per cent. But the same can climb to 70 per cent or above, fairly soon, if only cotton in increased quantities is locally produced to be used for making yarn and fabric. In that case, foreign exchange earnings from the RMG sector will also rise substantially.
Extension of rubber cultivation is also possible. The cumulative effect of the wider and successful production of all these cash crops will translate into vital balance of payments support for the country by reducing imports and increasing export incomes.
Nasir Ahmed
Arjatpara, Khulna