Rice Research Revisited: BRRI and Its Achievements

Abstract

Clean rice shares the major sources of calorie (72%) and protein (62%) in Bangladesh. Around 41% of the labour force is engaged in the rice sector to contribute about 4.5% to GDP. Despite some natural calamities, the country was able to harvest 36.19 ml MT (million metric tonnes) of clean rice, in 2017–2018; 2.6 ml MT was surplus. The growth rate of clean rice production during the last 10 years (2009–2018) was 0.488 ml MT. Considering this rate, the total clean rice production would be 47.2 ml MT in 2050, given the area remain unchanged. The requirements of clean rice would be 44.6 ml MT for 215.4 million people by the 2050. But the challenges ahead are expected to be many more due to the following reasons: first, climate adversaries and biological and edaphic limitations. Specific, Measurable, Attainable and Timebound (SMART) technologies such as quality seed of location-specific high-yielding and stress-tolerant modern varieties; second, introduction of nutritionally rich rice varieties; third, location-specific profitable cropping pattern; fourth, innovative cultural management to minimise yield gap; fifth mechanisation; sixth, assurance of net cropped area with respect to a per hectare of yield; seventh, ensuring fair farm gate price paddy rice; eight, the reduction of adoption lag of newly released rice varieties; and last but not the least, the gradual shifting of at least 15% irrigated culture to upland rice culture likely to ease the production barriers. Unfortunately, the current share of public research expenditure in Bangladesh is comparatively low in agriculture and, thus, in the case of rice too. Even though technological improvements have led to a dramatic increase in yield and total production, the marginal farmers would likely to face a price fall mostly in the seasonal peak (during harvest) when supply is more than the demand. Thus, ensuring a fair price for rice is a difficult task for the government. BRRI proposed a triangular approach of trade and value addition to regulating the proper balance between cost and margin of rice cultivation where the growers would receive a price through their bank accounts. The effort is needed to improve the efficiency of agricultural marketing to reduce market distortion and the cost of marketing and to ensure that farmers get incentive price for their produces and consumer gets quality products through an innovative value chain approach. The seventh FYP would accelerate the process of transmission of the existing semi-subsistence farming to the commercialisation of agriculture which is in the alignment of BRRI strategy and SDGs too.