The government is preparing a roadmap to boost rice production within two years to meet the increasing demand, said Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque on Thursday.
"This year aus, aman and boro paddy production reached record and government stock is at its highest yet price of rice has remained out of control," he told journalists at the Secretariat after attending a meeting on increasing cultivation of inbred and super hybrid varieties of paddy to enhance production.
He said production has to be accelerated by cultivating very high-yielding inbred and super hybrid varieties to make the grain affordable to low-income people, reports UNB.
The minister said agricultural land is on decline and to increase production the newly invented high-yielding varieties will need to be taken to the field immediately.
The government has taken time-bound specific plans to increase aus, aman and boro rice production in the next season and expand their production in hill, haor and adverse areas, said Razzaque.
Newly innovated BRRI 89 and BRRI 92 boro varieties can yield around one maund of rice cultivated in a decimal.
To take it to fields immediately, a list will be prepared of the farmers who will produce these two varieties and their rice will be purchased as seed at higher prices than the market, he said.
To encourage the farmers, seeds of these varieties will be provided free of cost and fertiliser at subsidised rates, he added.
The minister urged Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and the Department of Agriculture Extension to create a more reliable statistic on rice demand, production and productivity to remove discrepancy for taking the right decision.
The minister said rice prices in the country are currently rising and unstable as in the global market the prices of food grains have increased.
Wheat prices which were between $230 to $280 per tonne has now increased to around $450, he said.
"Around 4.8 million tonnes of wheat were imported in the 2020-21 fiscal year but only 1.6 million tonnes were imported until January this fiscal year for its high prices", he said.
"There are currently 1.0 million Rohingya citizens in the country and every year 2.2 to 2.4 million new population get added so demand and consumption is on rise hence the rice price is a bit high but there is no food crisis in the country", said Razzaque.