Paddy production forecast at record 58.5m tonnes

The country may see a record level of paddy production this year with bumper production in the Boro season and high yields in the current Aman season that will add more staples to the national food basket.

The production of paddy is likely to go up by 1.2% in 2023 compared to the previous year, according to a country brief of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

“In aggregate, the total paddy production in 2023 is forecast at a record 58.5 million tonnes,” according to the estimate.

The production of paddy was 57.77 million tonnes last year, while it was 56.001 million tonnes on average between 2018 and 2022, the FAO said.

“Paddy production forecast at record level in 2023 in Bangladesh. Production is forecast at above-average level, mostly due to anticipated high yields,” it said.

Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) Director General Md Shahjahan Kabir said on Tuesday that the production of rice has increased each year by 6 lakh tonnes and this year the production may increase by 7-8 lakh tonnes, more than the FAO’s estimated 1.2%.

“We witnessed record rice production in the Boro season. In addition, Aman production may also increase this year though the rain somewhat affected its harvest,” he added.

According to the FAO, harvesting of the Aman paddy crop, which accounts for 35% of the annual output, is underway and will continue until January 2024.

Localised losses of standing crops occurred in the Chattogram division due to heavy rains and floods in August, it said.

Harvesting of the 2023 Boro and Aus paddy crops, accounting for 55% and 10% of the annual output, respectively, was completed earlier in the year.

The Boro paddy production is estimated by the FAO at record high levels of 31.1 million tonnes, reflecting some area expansions and bumper yields. The output of the Aus paddy crop is estimated to be at a below-average level.

As high as 78.28% of Aman harvesting has been completed across the country till now while farmers also witnessed high yields despite different natural disasters, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).

The DAE targeted to produce 171.79 lakh tonnes of rice from 59.33 lakh hectares of land this year during the Aman season, officials said.

Md Sohag, a farmer from Lakshmipur district, said he cultivated Aman paddy on 50 acres of land and completed harvesting on 49 acres of land.

“I got 25 maunds of production from the BRRI Dhan-94 variety, while 15 maunds from the local variety,” he added.