1. Innovative Rice Production Technologies for Food Security and Rice Production In Bangladesh
Dr. M. Zainul Abedin
IRRI Representative for Bangladesh
& Team Leader, FoSHoL-Coordination Project
Prepared for discussion in the LCG meeting held on 24 April 2008
FA unable to be here today and this presentation is largely the work of others.

2. Outline
What is happening
Why it is happening
What could be done

3. What is happening?
We all know
Rice price has gone up, and may not come down significantly soon
Poor farmers are suffering the most
Due to the floods and sidr, there is a shortage of about 2 million tons

4. World rice prices are jumping up like mad horse

5. Why it is happening:
Our domestic production is low and we are consuming more
World stock and supplies of rice are also in precarious condition, and may not ease in the next few years
Range of multiple factors are contributing to uncertainty in availability of enough rice at reasonable price from global market

6. Rising oil price is also contributing to increasing input prices
Cost of production is going to be higher, and days for cheaper rice is not expected soon

7. The current sharp increase in rice price is a major cause for concern.
Even a small increase in price can seriously affect the household food security of poor people. For example, a 25% increase in rice price translates into a 7–10% drop in the real income of poor consumers, as rice purchases often constitute 30–40% of their total expenditures.
This makes vulnerable more vulnerable

8. What could be done
Ensuring sufficient supplies of rice that is affordable for the poor is thus crucial to poverty reduction.
The best strategy for keeping the price of rice low is to ensure that production increases faster than demand.
Although some increase in cropping intensity and growing rice on current fallows are still possible, rice land otherwise is being lost to industrialization, urbanization, or conversion to other crops.

9. The main source of additional production will, therefore, have to be yield growth.
Productivity growth through the development and dissemination of improved technologies is the only long-term viable solution for bringing prices down, preventing future increases in price, and ensuring that affordable rice is available to poor rice consumers.
Needs An Agronomic Revolution: Reducing yield gap through improved skills in management of resources and technologies farmers use
Expand rapidly, use of recently developed technologies and HYVs
Develop technologies to enhance productivity, particularly of the unfavourable – floodprone, droughtprone and salinity prone – ricelands
Policies to improve input and output marketing system

10. Investments are needed
IRRI, in partnership with BRRI, can offer a range of technologies to increase domestic production at a faster speed and enhance farmers’ income.
Successful adoption of these options can easily eliminate the shortfall, rather can have surplus production
And, are capable of developing technology choices for the future
Investments are needed
to make these technologies available to rice farmers in the short to medium term, and
to develop new technologies in the medium to long term

11. Promising options and technologies
Enhancing skills and capabilities of farmers in using recommended technologies to harvest the potential yield
Speed-up adoption of recently developed technologies suitable for various agro-ecosystems
HYVs – BRRI Dhan 44, 47, 33, BR11 sub1 and Swarna sub1
Improved seed and seedling management
Direct wet and dry seeding using drum seeder and lithao
Use of leaf color chart (LCC) for real time N management
Growing of rice and other food crops in the tidal saline areas with sweet water harvesting
Alternate wetting and drying (AWD)
Integrated crop and resource management
Reduce post harvest losses

12. Validate to Scale up adoption of varieties
BRRI Dhan 44 has potential to be a mega variety
BRRIdha47 for saline areas
BRRI Dhan 33 for monga areas and in areas where short durated rice varieties are needed
BR11 sub1 and Swarna sub1 can withstand submergence for up to 14 days
New variety coming up with salt tolerant (Saltol) gene

13. Improved seed production and preservation at farm level, and seedling raising
Can increase the yield by about 5 -10%

14. Direct seeding by Drum Seeder
Direct wet seeding of sprouted seeds in paddled lands by using Drum Seeder increases yield by about %, saves costs and ensures early harvest.

15. Leaf Colour Chart (LCC) for N Management
LCC is usually a plastic ruler-shaped strip containing four panels , clors matching the paddy
Reduces N use by up to 30% and enusres discipline in N application
LCC helps improve yield by maximizing crop N uptake and reducing N losses.

16. Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD)
AWD is a technology for water saving for rice production. A simple device has been designed to observe water level in the ground to decide time & amount of irrigation water.
Saves water by about 30-45% and has tendency to increase yield
Technology are seen in the field

17. Integrated Rice-Fish Culture
Integrated Rice-Fish culture is a high potential farming in Bangladesh during monsoon (on flood-free land) and boro seasons. However, this practice is yet to gain wide popularity, as it deserves.

18. Rice-fish culture offers the following benefits:
Increase income from increased production of both rice by about 10% and additional production of fish;
Recycles nutrients by fish through feeding and depositing fish faces in the soil;
Provides protein to members of farmer’s family;
Reduces insect pest (leaf hopper, stem borer, aphid etc.) and weed infestation as they are consumed by fish and
Reduces the amount of chemical fartilizers needed for rice cultivation

19. Growing of rice and other food crops in the tidal saline areas with sweet water harvesting
Boro rice or other crops can be irrigated by utilizing gravity flow of tidal water directly from the river during high tide from mid-November to mid-February.
Before it becomes saline, river water can be conserved in natural canals at the beginning of February to irrigate rice or other crops from mid-February to end of March with a low lift pump.

20. Integrated Rice-Duck farming system
The system of rice cultivation along with duck is know as Intenerated Rice-duck Farming System. It is a form of organic farming that facilitates the poor farmers/households to obtain two crops (rice as the main crop and ducks is the subsidiary crop) simultaneously utilizing same natural resources.
In rice-duck system agro-chemicals and chemical fertilizers are not applied. So this system is cost-effective and environment friendly.

21. Fact sheets on Rice Production Technology
Rice and rice-based technology information and communication materials are available in the BRKB website ( )
More information and IRRI’s suggested solutions to present crisis are available at
Fact sheets on Rice Production Technology

22. Thank you