Most Bangladeshis earn from agriculture. Although rice and jute are the main crops, wheat is assuming better importance. Tea is grown in the northeast of the country. Because of Bangladesh's fertile soil and normally sufficient water supply, rice can be grown and harvested three times a year. Due to some factors, Bangladesh's labor-intensive agriculture achieved steady increases in food grain production despite the often adverse weather conditions. These include flood control and irrigation, more efficient use of fertilizers, and establishment of better distribution and rural credit networks. 35.8 million metric tons produced in 2000, rice is Bangladesh's main crop. National sales of the classes of insecticide used on rice, including granular carbofuran, and malathion exceeded 12,000 tons of formulated product in 2003. The insecticides not only represent an environmental danger, but are a important expenditure to poor rice farmers. The Bangladesh Rice Research Institute is working with various NGOs and international organizations to decrease insecticide use in rice.
In comparison to rice, wheat production in 1999 was 1.9 million metric tons. Population increases pressure continues to place a severe burden on productive capacity, creating a food deficit, especially of rice. Foreign help and commercial imports fill the gap. Underemployment remain a serious problem, and a growing concern for Bangladesh's agricultural sector will be its ability to absorb extra manpower. Finding alternative sources of employment will continue to be a frightening problem for future governments, particularly with the increasing numbers of landless peasants who already account for about half the rural labor.
The Vertical Farm Project - Agriculture for the 21st Century
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