DHAKA: Speakers, at a workshop, said global warming and climate change may reduce rice yields by 50 percents in 2070.

The workshop titled “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Rice Field: Finding Mitigation Options from Fertilizer Deep Placement and Alternative Wetting Drying” was held at BRRI in Gazipur on Wednesday.

Director General of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) Dr Jiban Krishna Biswas said, “Due to the impact of climate change rice production may be reduced to around 2 tonne per hectare in our country in 2017, which was 5.5 tonne per hectare in 2008.”

Experts are witnessing quick changes in the country's rice ecosystems due to climate changes, he added.

Climate change factors such as salinity, flash floods, drought, cold waves, excessive heat, stagnant floods and tidal floods have been severely impacting rice production in the country, the BRRI DG noted. He further added that Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries of global warming and climate change, report oryza.com

BRRI DG also said the BRRI has been working closely with the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) under the Accelerating Agriculture Productivity Improvement (AAPI) project to reduce carbon emissions from rice fields as well as developing newer climate change, drought and salinity-tolerant rice varieties.

According to USDA, Bangladesh currently produces around 4.4 tons of paddy per hectare. USDA estimates Bangladesh to produce around 34.8 million tons of rice in MY 2014-15 (May - April), up about 1% from an estimated 34.59 million tons in MY 2013-14. It estimates Bangladesh to import around 100,000 tons of rice in 2015, down about 75% from an estimated 400,000 tons in 2014. The country's rice consumption needs are estimated at around 34.8 million tons in MY 2014-15 slightly up from an estimated 34.6 million tons in MY 2013-14.  

BDST: 1004 HRS, AUG 30, 2014