Production of rice shoots up: Minister

Agriculture Minister Mohammad Abdur Razzaque on Wednesday said the productivity of rice has shot up alongside an increase in the total production of the crop.

"In 1991, the average production of rice per hectare was 1.71 tonnes, but by 2020, it has been more than four tonnes," he said at a discussion titled "Transformation of Climate Sustainable Agriculture and Food System in Covid Conditions".

Abdur Razzaque joined the programme organised by the International Rice Research Institute (IRI) virtually from the conference room of the agriculture ministry.

He said the rice production has more than quadrupled in the last 50 years.

In fiscal 1971-72, the rice production was only 1 crore tonnes but it has increased to about 4 crore tonnes in 2020, he added.

Abdur Razzaque said this success is due to the innovation of improved crop varieties and technologies through agricultural research, subsidization, and availability of agricultural inputs.

He said climate change would have the most adverse impact on agriculture in South Asia.

"This will weaken the food system in South Asia. To address this challenge, we need to work together to innovate climate-tolerant agricultural technologies," added the minister.

He said the activities to increase the agricultural production in Bangladesh by tackling the impact of climate change are in full swing.