Triumph of early rice varieties in the north

Fast-growing crops eradicated seasonal food crisis, unlocked year-round income for farmers

Short-duration rice varieties have transformed livelihoods in northern Bangladesh, allowing farmers to grow an additional crop each year and boost both production and income in a region previously prone to periodic food shortages.

The cultivation of these rice varieties, developed by agricultural scientists at Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), has helped eliminate “monga” -- the seasonal cycle of food crisis from September to November, which had long plagued the northwestern region, particularly Rangpur division.

The success reflects how agricultural innovation can help increase food production and improve livelihoods. The achievement resonates with the spirit of World Food Day, which is being observed today under the theme, “Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow.”

Many farmers in the north said that during the rainy season, they grow short-duration Aman rice, which takes three to four months to mature. They now harvest up to three crops a year.

Agriculture officials said a traditional rice variety requires 136 to 155 days to mature. It yields less -- 4.4 to 5.5 tonnes per hectare -- compared with 5.5 to 6.6 tonnes for short-duration varieties.

“Farmers who previously harvested two crops annually are now producing three,” said DAE Deputy Director (Rangpur Region) Sayada Sifat Zahan.

She said more and more farmers are growing Rabi or winter crops after harvesting early-maturing Aman.

Aman, which makes up 40 percent of annual rice production, was cultivated on 621,690 hectares across five districts of Rangpur Division this year. Short-duration rice varieties accounted for 155,422 hectares or about 25 percent, up from 20 percent five years ago, according to data from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).

Agriculture officials said the government began field trials of early-maturing Aman in 2005 to eliminate monga. Gradually, cultivation of such rice varieties expanded across the northern region and other parts.

Farmers harvested a record 1.73 crore tonnes of rice across the country last Aman season as they expanded cultivation of high-yielding and hybrid varieties, according to a recent report by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

WHAT FARMERS SAY

For Ahad Ali from Kurigram’s Dasiar Chhara village, early harvest means he doesn’t need to wait longer to grow his next crop.

This year, he planted early-maturing varieties on three bighas of his nine-bigha plot and long-duration varieties on the rest.

After harvesting paddy on those three bighas early this month, he immediately prepared the three bighas for winter vegetables: cauliflower, tomatoes and also chilli.

“Now I can harvest Aman about a month earlier and grow winter vegetables afterwards. This allows me to cultivate an additional crop from the same land and increase my income,” said 50-year-old Ali, who has been growing short-duration varieties for seven years.

In Lalmonirhat’s Karnapur village, 65-year-old Ranjit Debnath recently harvested an early-maturing variety of rice on two bighas of his eight-bigha plot.

“I have been cultivating early-maturing Aman for eight years. I consider it an additional crop because I can earn more from winter vegetables after harvesting the paddy,” said Ranjit, who already prepared two bighas for growing cauliflower this year.

Last year, he grew cauliflower on two bighas and made a net profit of Tk 90,000.

“If the weather remains favourable, I hope to make a profit of over Tk 100,000 from cauliflower sales this year,” he added.

EARLY AMAN TRIALS

With the aim of eliminating monga, BRRI and Rangpur-Dinajpur Rural Service, a non-governmental organisation, launched field trials of a short-duration Aman variety in 2005.

Md Mazid, former chief scientific officer and head of Agronomy Division at BRRI, led the initiative and started testing BRRI Dhan-33 in farmers’ fields.

The following year, the DAE, BRRI and several NGOs worked together to expand its cultivation in the north. By 2010, was being cultivated widely across the region.

In northern Bangladesh, particularly in the Rangpur region, a lack of agricultural work during the Bengali months of Ashwin and Kartik (mid-September to mid-November) once triggered seasonal monga.

Recalling his experience during that period, Md Mazid said, “During my stay in Rangpur in 2002, farmers grew long-duration varieties such as BR-11, which were harvested in Agrahayan (late November to mid-December). Earlier in Kartik, labourers had no work.

“They sold their labour in advance, borrowed rice from moneylenders and had to repay one and a half maunds for every maund borrowed. They even had to sell their cattle to survive.”

All that changed through the cultivation of BRRI Dhan-33, which matured a month earlier, creating agricultural work such as harvesting and threshing. It freed land early for growing potatoes, which sold for Tk 80 to Tk 100 a kg instead of about Tk 10 at the peak season, he said.

Khandakar Md Iftekharuddaula, chief scientific officer and head of the Plant Breeding Division at BRRI, said early-maturing varieties ripen 30 to 40 days earlier than the conventional ones.

Farmers can now grow three crops a year on the same land, and in some cases even four, by following cropping patterns that combine Aman, potato, mustard, winter vegetables and Boro, he said.

Abu Fattah Md Rawshan Kabir, deputy director of the DAE in Kurigram, said farmers previously left their land fallow for around three months before planting early winter vegetables.

They are now using that period to cultivate early-maturing Aman, he said, adding that yields from early-maturing Aman varieties have increased from 13-14 maunds per bigha to 16-18 maunds in many cases.

These rice varieties are now cultivated across vast areas of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari, and also in parts ofother districts, including Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Rajshahi, Satkhira and Gopalganj.

Md Obaidur Rahman Mondol, director of the DAE’s field service wing, said these varieties are not suitable for all regions, as land conditions and cropping patterns vary, he said.

These could be difficult to grow in areas where water levels remain high during the planting season, he said.

WHAT EXPERTS SAY

Wais Kabir, former executive chairman of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council, said short-duration rice varieties could help farmers reduce losses from flash floods and rising soil salinity.

He stressed the need for adjusting planting dates and choosing the right varieties based on types of soil and weather conditions.

Sharif Ahmed, a cropping systems agronomist at Bangladesh office of the International Rice Research Institute, said the introduction of a third crop during the fallow period between two rice crops could help diversify production and reduce dependence on imports.

He said farmers in several areas have already included mustard and legumes, such as mungbean and lentil, in their cropping systems. Legumes help improve soil fertility, while mustard adds organic carbon through decomposed leaves and crop residues.

These crops add organic matter to the soil, help maintain soil health and can reduce farmers’ dependence on chemical fertilisers, he added.

Our Rangpur correspondent S Dilip Roy contributed to this report.