We focus on grains and food industry.
We focus on grains and food industry.
We focus on grains and food industry.
We focus on grains and food industry.
We focus on grains and food industry.
We focus on grains and food industry.
We focus on grains and food industry.
We focus on grains and food industry. current time
Bangladesh Faces a Yield Challenge as Rice Demand Outpaces Productivity
Bangladesh may be one of South Asia’s better-performing rice producers, but its productivity still leaves considerable room for improvement. In 2024, the country harvested around 5.3 tonnes of paddy per hectare, ahead of India, Pakistan and Nepal. Yet the figure remains well below yields achieved in China, the US, Australia and Egypt.
This gap is becoming increasingly important for Bangladesh’s future rice market. Domestic production reached about 41.9 million tonnes in FY25, but the country still imported 1.44 million tonnes, the highest volume in seven years. The value of imports surged from just $25.4 million to $682.4 million in one year after floods damaged domestic supplies.
The challenge goes beyond production. Bangladesh’s boro rice system depends heavily on groundwater, particularly in the drought-prone northwest. Expanding output through greater irrigation alone could therefore create another problem—greater pressure on already stressed water resources.
The next phase of growth will have to come from improving productivity rather than simply increasing cultivation. Better seeds, precision fertiliser use, efficient irrigation, mechanisation, improved soil management and stronger extension services could help farmers produce more from existing land.
Bangladesh already has a substantial research base, including hundreds of improved rice varieties developed by national research institutions. The bigger challenge is getting these technologies into farmers’ fields and ensuring they are used correctly.
For the future market, this transition will be crucial. Higher yields could reduce Bangladesh’s exposure to sudden import requirements, improve farm profitability and strengthen food security. At the same time, technologies such as alternate wetting and drying and mechanised planting could reduce the resource burden of rice cultivation.
The opportunity is therefore not simply to grow more rice, but to produce it more efficiently. If Bangladesh can close even part of its yield and management gap, it could strengthen domestic supplies while making its rice sector more resilient to climate shocks, rising input costs and volatile international markets.
