Bangladesh rice project helps seed prosperity

NILPHAMARI — Monga is a Bengali term farmers use for the eternal annual cycle of poverty and plenty. When the season is right, there is plenty for all. When things are tough, everyone suffers.

Joynal Abedin, a farmer in Nilphamari district, some 360 kilometers northwest of Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, has been living under the shadow of monga for more than 50 years.

“I’ve planted National AgriCare hybrid Dhan-4. It gives me an excellent return and I’ll be sticking with it until something better comes along. I’m very happy,” Abedin says. “We’ve come a long way since we started using Chinese seed.”

Another farmer, Alhaj Rafiqul Islam, also plants Dhan-4.

“I’ve planted this strain on 3 hectares, with outstanding results,” he says. “Other farmers are coming to see my crop and I’ve advised all my neighbors and relatives to use Dhan-4.”

Sanjay Kumar Kundu is a seed merchant. He gets his seed from China’s Chongqing Zhong Yi Seed.

“Last year I sold Dhan-4. It has been well-received by my customers,” he says.

He has sold 30 metric tons of the variety this year.

“The farmers do not want to plant anything other than Dhan-4 now,” he says.

Chinese agriculturists work directly with farmers in their fields. They understand the needs of the particular crop and have knowledge of current trends in rice cultivation that Bangladeshi farmers can only dream of.

Mohammad Azmol Hossain is the sales manager of National AgriCare Hybrid Seeds in northern Bangladesh districts.

“I would like to remember and thank Yuan Longping, ‘the father of hybrid rice in China,’” he says.

Most Bangladeshis eat rice three times a day, every day.

Hossain says, “I feel there is a significant role of Chinese seed in the Bangladeshi economy and food demand.

“From a business point of view, I’m delighted. We started out dealing only 200 tons. Today, we handle about 1,300 tons. It is far superior to existing local varieties.”

The Bangladesh Ministry of Agriculture and Chongqing Zhong Yi Seed distribute eight hybrid strains. National AgriCare Group entered the seed business in 2010. Chongqing Zhong Yi is a participant in China’s aid and technical collaborations, leading the rice technology cooperation in Bangladesh as part of the Belt and Road Initiatives.

Ling Jiahu of Chongqing Zhong Yi says the company works in seed marketing, processing, production, research and technology.

“We are lucky to have a world-class research team, seen as the backbone of China’s seed industry,” he says.

“We export 2,600 tons to Asia and Africa each year.”

Of those 2,600 tons, around 1,500 tons go to Bangladesh where the Janakraj strain is the most popular with its high yield, high resistance to pests, and high quality. According to Ling, yields can reach 4.4 tons per hectare, 30 percent higher than local varieties.

Today, the monga cycle is not entirely broken, but the hardships of agrarian communities in northern Bangladesh have been alleviated by high-yielding Chinese rice varieties.

Md Abu Bakkar Siddique of the Bangladesh department of agricultural extension says hybrid rice is a winter crop in just over half of the country’s paddies, playing an important role in food production.