Present Status of Crop Diversification in Bangladesh
Crop diversification is an old traditional practice in Bangladesh but currently due to introduction of different irrigation facilities to deep tube well, shallow, power pump etc. This traditional crop production practiced have been changed. As a result, the area of rice crop has increased at the cost of diversified crops such as pulses, Oil seeds and other crops. Some present situation regarding crop diversification in Bangladesh are mentioned below
1. Statistical Information: There is no scope to know the actual position of crop diversification in Bangladesh because the farmers does not keep information about it. Besides this, the government of Bangladesh does not take any conducive step to collect. Such type information only the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) collect some relevant information.
In Bangladesh, there are 33.1 lake hectare of double cropped area and 6.6 Lakh Hectare of triple cropped area. (BBS 1980 & BBS 1989).
2. Steps taking by the government:For entire development of the country the government take Crop Diversification Program (CDP). The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Director General of International Service (DGIS) are involved for establishing this program 4 organization under the MoA e.g.
· Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI).
· Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC).
· Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
· Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM).
This organization has played a great role for establishing this project.
3. Crop Identification under Program: Main crop are mustard, lentil, groundnut, gram, sunflower, khesari, mung, potato, sweet potato, soyabean, maize also involved this project. USAID and UNDP help in his project.
4. Transfer Program: All improve technologies are not acceptable to the farmers. It’s acceptability depends on new crop, cultivation in farmers farming system, time by utilization of technology and profitability and sustainability of the technology. Technologies in farming system extension under crop diversification are mentioned below
§ Cropping pattern.
§ Mixed cropping.
§ Relay cropping.
§ Zero/minimum tillage.
§ Fertilizer demonstration.
§ Home gardening.
§ Apiculture.
§ Block demonstration.
§ Compost preparation.
§ Social forestry.
§ School gardening.
§ Seed exchange program.
§ Agro technology & family education extension program.
§ Farms and equipment demonstration.
§ Integrated pest management.
§ TPS/Potato production technology.
