It might be hard to pick it out of the din of alarmist reports but there’s some good news in food production, too. Bangladesh, one of the world’s poorest countries and one of those most vulnerable to increasing food prices, has produced a bumper crop of rice:
Some good news from one of the world’s most impoverished countries, which struggles to feed its people in the best of times. Bangladesh reports the rice harvest, just under way, appears to be a bumper crop. But due to soaring rice and wheat prices the country says its 500,000 army troops are being ordered to eat potatoes. VOA correspondent Steve Herman reports from our South Asia bureau in New Delhi.
Bangladesh’s hardiest rice, sown back in January and known as the “boro” crop, is now being harvested. Initial reports are that it is plentiful.
This is encouraging news for a nation where the majority of people are employed in agriculture and rice is the dominant crop, contributing more than one-fourth of the country’s gross domestic product.
This comes hard on the heels of a bumper crop in potatoes:
Farmers have achieved an all-time record bumper potato production in 16 northern districts as harvesting of the major crop just completed in the region.
Market price of potato continues falling, as a huge quantity of potato has over flooded the local markets and the farmers are failing to preserve the same in a few number of cold storages, market sources and farmers said.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) had fixed a target of producing 44,07,936 tonnes potato from 2,49,600 hectares during the current robi season in the region.
The enthusiastic farmers however brought 3,50,307 hectares land under potato farming this year that is 40.40 percent higher than that of the fixed target and the overall potato production achieved is being estimated at over 62 lakh tonnes in the region, they said.
The highest ever potato production could be achieved because of special steps taken by the government, favourable climatic conditions and no pests attacks, said Deputy Director of DAE, Rangpur Kamal Shariful Alam adding that the farmers were very happy getting fertilisers timely this season.
“With a view to resolving the preservation problems, we are suggesting the farmers for preserving their produce at their houses in a special manner using sand and some other techniques,” he added.
For many if not most of the world’s people spoilage is as important a factor as production in what’s being called “food security”.
During WWII, Bengal was hit by a cyclone that destroyed rice fields, killed farmers and spread disease to the crops. The British (belatedly) brought wheat from other regions of India, but many of the people that had lived on rice their entire lives could not properly digest the wheat. Millions would die (though the causes are debatable). I hope that the Bengalis (and other third-worlders) are enjoying a richer, more-varied diet these days.