US Department of Agriculture has slightly lowered its rice production forecast for Bangladesh to 3.46 crore tonnes for 2014-15 from earlier estimate of 3.48 crore tonnes due to decline in boro rice production. The USDA said the production would decline in the boro areas as farmers had been shifting to other crops due to higher production cost of rice. ‘For marketing year 2014-15 (May to April), Post’s estimate for total rice area and production is revised down to 11.8 million hectares and 34.6 million...

A growing number of shrimp farmers and processors are giving up traditional farming practices and turning to improved aquaculture to boost yields and exports. Acreage of shrimp under a modern farming technology -- semi-intensive shrimp farming -- rose to 1,100 hectares this year from 800 hectares a year ago. The improved farming practices were seen only on 10 hectares of land in 2002, said Prafulla Kumar Sarker, district fisheries officer of Khulna, a hub for shrimp farming and pioneer in modern practices, report...

Bangladesh has produced around 34.449 million tons of rice, basis milled, in FY 2013-14 (July - June), up about 2.7% from around 33.833 million tons produced in FY 2012-13, according to provisional official estimates from the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), report local sources. According to the DAE data, Bangladesh produced around 19.1 million tons of rice from Boro (January - May), up about 2% from around 18.778 million tons produced last year. The Asian nation produced around 2.32 millio...

The government has imported around 374,560 tons of rice in the fiscal year 2013-14 (July 1, 2013 - June 30, 2014), up about 13 times or 1,195pc from around 28,930 tons imported in FY 2012-13, according to data released by the Food Ministry. Of the total rice imports during the year, around 371,500 tons are imported by the private sector and 3,060 tons are imported by the government. A Bangladesh Bank official told local media sources in the second week of June that fall in global rice prices, simulta...

The government has extended the ongoing ban on non-fragrant rice exports to the fiscal year 2014-15 (July 1, 2014 - June 30, 2015) in order to ensure supplies and control price hikes in the local market, according to a gazette notification issued by the Commerce Ministry last week, local sources report. The notification stated that the government would allow export of aromatic/fragrant rice varieties such as Kalojira, Chinigura, Chiniatop, Kataribhog, Madanbhog, Radhunipagal, Banshphul, Khorma, BR 5 (Dul...