Rapid depletion of groundwater in parts of Bangladesh poses serious threat to future growth in rice production, according to a study of the International Rice Research Institute.
The outcome of the study, published in the March issue of IRRI’s regular publication “Rice Today”, said the water table in certain parts of Bangladesh is dropping by four to five feet per year because of the expansion of irrigation.
“The extent of groundwater use can be gauged by the exponential rise in the number of shallow tube wells from 21 in 1980 to about 1.62 million “, said the study.
The IRRI said Bangladesh is one of the major rice-growing countries, with more than 11.65 million hectares of rice area and producing 51 million tonnes of paddy.
However, the study noted that the dry-season Boro crop, which largely depends on irrigation, now accounts for 40 percent or 4.75 million hectares of the total area, contributing 55% of the total paddy production.
Apart from the exhausting groundwater, imbalanced fertiliser use in favor of nitrogen, due to subsidy and ignorance of farmers on the benefits of balanced fertiliser application, is adversely affecting soil health and is a major concern for future productivity growth in South Asia, including Bangladesh, the study said.
It pointed out that in Bangladesh the share of urea use in total fertilizer soared from 64% in 1981 to 89% in 2010, which is in fact a move towards opposite direction of using balanced fertiliser.
