Triple-cropped land areas have almost doubled in the country in the last 17 years, signifying a vibrant agricultural production scenario.
Entry of the private sector in developing and selling various hybrid seeds has largely contributed to the rise in share of such lands, said experts.
Triple-cropped farms means lands where farmers cultivate three times a year.
However, most farmers usually cultivate crops one or two times in a piece of land a year. Single-cropping still dominates the country's agriculture sector. But its propensity has witnessed a decline during the period.
Farmers used triple-cropping practice on 1.818 million hectares of land in financial year (FY) 2016-17, up from 0.993 million hectares in FY 1999-2000, registering a hike of 83 per cent, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) survey on the country's land utilisation.
In FY 17, the triple-cropped areas accounted for 23 per cent of the total croplands of 7.932 million hectares. The figure was 12.5 per cent in FY 2000.
During the period, single-farming areas declined to 2.2 million hectares from 4.0 million hectares.
Double-cropping farms have also shrunk to 3.9 million hectares from 4.13 million hectares during the period.
Anwar Faruque, a former agriculture secretary, pointed out that entry of the private sector in seed business has largely contributed to the growing practice of maximum utilisation of lands.
The private sector seed producers have brought in modern vegetable seed varieties, which are efficient alternatives to the peasantry, he noted.
After growing rice in two seasons, the farmers found that there are options to cultivate their lands two more times using hybrid seeds, which increased their earnings.
Besides, consumers can also get bitter gourd, cauliflower, cabbage, sponge gourd, snake gourd, coriander leaf and many other vegetables throughout the year, he further said.
The private sector's share in seed business was less than 6.0 per cent in 2000, but the figure has now reached over 22 per cent.
"In terms of vegetable seed trading, the private companies have grabbed more than 92 per cent of market share."
The diversity in cropping patterns has also come as a boon to the exporters, he added.
Prof Dr Abdul Hamid of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) said, "Optimal use of farmlands by applying modern technology helped to raise rice yield to 36 million tonnes at present from 20.1 million tonnes in the 2000s."
Apart from being the fourth largest rice producer in the world, the country witnessed a massive rise in growing vegetables, potato, maize, spice and pulse production over the last two decades, he added.
The country becomes the eighth largest both in vegetable and potato production, and 11th largest in onion production in the globe.
Prof Hamid, an agronomist, pointed out that cropping intensity is 139 to 163 per cent in different areas of the country, which are the highest in the world.
"Eighty per cent of the cultivated lands in rural Bangladesh have been used only for paddy until 2000, which now came down to 65 per cent."
Non-paddy farming areas have increased to nearly 22 per cent of the lands from less than 15 per cent.
"Still, much more have to be done to raise crop diversification further for betterment of the farm sector," he added.
Dr Wais Kabir, former executive chairman of the state-run Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), said multiple cropping areas have been expanded largely in northern and north-western regions.
The so-called 'monga' (seasonal famine in Rangpur region) has almost been wiped out through introduction of triple and quadruple farming pattern.
But problems still exist in the country's southern and haor belts, gripped by salinity and water-logging, he added.
Bidhan Kumar Bhander, director of Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI), meanwhile, said although cropping diversification helps soil to regain its organic elements, it did not happen in Bangladesh.
"Incessant use of synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilisers has caused severe damage to topsoil in the country."
The local farmers are using 5.0 million tonnes of chemical fertilisers and 0.05 million tonnes of synthetic pesticides annually, which is third highest in the world in terms of use per hectare, he added.
About 45 per cent of the total arable land areas currently lack the standard proportion of organic matter in the topsoil. If this trend continues, food production might fall in the near future.
He suggested introducing good agricultural practice (GAP) to maximise the cropping areas for future food security of the country.
Presently, quadruple use of lands in the country is estimated at 0.4 million hectares.
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