1) The production of maize has increased dramatically in southern Bangladesh over the past decade, while acreage of pulses has declined significantly. 2) Technology adoption has been higher for maize compared to pulses, resulting in greater fertilizer and pesticide use for maize. 3) Consumption of pulses, an important and affordable source of protein, remains below recommended levels in Bangladesh. Pulse producers and consumers have higher protein intake compared to producers and consumers of maize. 4) Research, extension, and market support are needed to promote the production and consumption of pulses and diversify cropping patterns away from a cereal-focused system.

1. Producing Food and Feed:
Towards a More Diversified Cropping System
Firdousi Naher
Bangladesh Policy Research and Strategy Support Program
International Food Policy Research Institute
Workshop on
The Feed the Future Zone in the South and the Rest of Bangladesh:
A Comparison of Food Security Aspects
16 January 2013
Dhaka

2. Area under cereals and pulses in Bangladesh,
1985/86 to 2010/11
14000 2500
Wheat, maize & pulses (000 acres)
12000
2000
Pulses
Boro rice (000acres)
10000
Wheat
1500
8000
Boro rice
6000
1000
4000
500
2000
Maize
0 0
2

3. Expansion in maize acreage in Southern
Bangladesh
72586
70100
60100
50100
1999/2000
Acres
40100 2009/2010
30100
20100
13086
10100
175 390
100
Jessore Kushtia
3

4. Change in pulse acreage in southern districts,
1986/87 to 2009/10
200000 Jessore
180000 Barisal
160000
140000 Patuakhali
120000
Kushtia
Acres
100000
80000
60000
40000
Khulna
20000
0Source: BBS
4

5. Growth of acreage, production and yield under
cereals and pulses, 2000-11
Growth rates of:
Crop
Area Production Yield
Boro rice 2.9 5.4 2.6
Wheat -8.1 -6.8 1.3
Maize 31.1 39.4 8.0
Pulses -5.02 -3.7 1.3
5
Source: Calculated from BBS

6. Growth of maize production and yield in southern
districts, 1999-2010
60 57 56
50
Percentage/year
40
30 Production
Yield
20
10 10
10
0
Jessore Kushtia
6

7. Growth of production and yield of major pulses in
southern districts, 1985-86 to 2009-10
4
3
3
Production
2
2 Yield
1
1 0.6
Percentage
0.1 0.04
0
0
-1 Barisal Jessore Kushtia Khulna Patuakhali
-2 -2
-3
-3 -3
-4
7

8. Division-wise spread of maize and pulse growers
40
35 33 33
30
30 27 Maize
25
Percentage
21 Pulses
20
20
15 13
10 8 9
5
5
0 1 0 0.2
0
8
Source: IFPRI, Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey 2011

9. Farm size distribution of maize and pulse growers
70 45
62 FtF National 41
40
60 36
35 32
50 47
Maize 30 28
40
38
25 22
Pulses
20
30 16
23 15
15
20 18 10
12 10
10 5
0 0 0
0
Marginal Small Medium Large Marginal Small Medium Large
Maize farmers Pulses farmers
FtF zone 2% 53.4%
Bangladesh 3.4% 20%
Source: IFPRI, Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey 2011 9

10. Technology diffusion among maize
and pulse farmers
120
100
92
100 92
Pulses: FtF 98
90
Maize 77
80 80
74 67
70 60 Local
HYV
60 40 33
23
50 20
8
2
40 0
30 26 Masur Mung Mashkalai Khesari
120
20
Pulses: National 96
100 93
84
10 8 76
80
Local
0 60 HYV
FtF Zone National
40
OPV Hybrid 24
16
20
7
3
Source: IFPRI, Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey 2011 0 10

11. Fertilizer use in maize and pulse cultivation
Percentage of land treated with fertilizer
Maize Pulses
FtF zone 100 56
National 98 71
Maize (kg/acre) Pulses (kg/acre)
Urea TSP DAP MoP Urea TSP DAP MoP
FtF zone 113 75 27 40 18 11 3 7
National 99 98 17 32 20 11 2 5
Source: IFPRI, Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey 2011
11

12. Use of pesticides in maize and pulses (taka/acre)
1400
1200 1161
1000 FtF
801 National
800
600
400
255 217
200
0
Maize Pulses
Source: IFPRI, Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey 2011 12

13. Yield of maize and pulses (tons/hectare)
Crop FtF zone National
Maize 6.2 5.9
Pulses:
Masur (lentils) 0.99 0.96
Mung (green gram) 0.67 0.72
Mashkalai (black 0.91 1.2
gram)
Khesari (grass pea) 0.99 1.1
13

14. Average per capita consumption (kg) per month
of poultry products and pulses
0.6
0.5 1995 2000 2005 2010 0.48
0.44 0.43
0.42
0.4
0.34
0.3
0.22 0.22
0.2 0.16 0.16
0.12 0.13
0.09
0.1
0
Poultry meat Eggs Pulses
RDA (kg/person/month)
Pulses: 1.8
Eggs: 0.15
Poultry meat: 0.75
14
Source: Calculated from Household Income and Expenditure Surveys; RDAs from BAN-HRDB, Ministry of Agriculture

15. Proportion households consuming pulses in past
7 days: maize and pulse growers
90
80 78
73.2
70
60
50 47
40 Maize producing
40 households
30 Pulse producing
households
20
10
0
FtF Zone National
15
Source: IFPRI, Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey 2011

16. Per capita daily protein intake (grams) among
maize and pulse producers
60
55
55 52.6
51.7 51.3
50
45
Maize producers
40
Pulse producers
35
30
25
20
FtF zone National
16
Source: IFPRI, Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey 2011

17. National retail price ratios of select food items
vis-à-vis rice prices
10
9 9
8
8 7
7
6 6
6
1990/91
5
4 4 2000/01
4 2009/10
3 3.0 3.1
3 2
2.8
2
2 2 1
1
0
Masur Khesari Eggs Chicken Beef
17
Source: BBS

18. Cost of acquiring protein from different sources
For 50 grams of protein from: Cost (Taka)
Masur 22
Mung 23
Mashkalai 15
Khesari 9
Chicken 40
Hen egg 50 18

19. Net returns from maize and pulses
Crop Net return Farm gate
(Taka/hectare) price (Taka/kg)
Maize 53,527 17
Masur 32,130 55
Mung 27,401 63
Mashkalai 27,787 44
Khesari 15,812 29
19
Source: Calculated from IFPRI, BIHS 2011

20. Conclusions
• Phenomenal increase in maize acreage in past 10
years – both in the FtF zone and at the national
level.
• Area under pulses have declined drastically in the
FtF zone as well as in Bangladesh as a whole.
• Technology generation and diffusion has been
higher in maize – till date 11 BARI hybrid maize
varieties while only 6 HYVs for lentil and green
gram and 3 for black gram and grass pea.
• Maize requires about 5 times more fertilizers
than pulses. Pesticide application is also higher.
20

21. Conclusions (cont’d)
• Consumption of pulses, the cheapest source of
protein, has declined; remains much below
desired levels
• Compared to maize farmers:
– pulse farmers have a higher consumption of pulses
– pulse farmers have a higher intake of protein
• Since 1990s, egg prices have gone up 3x and
chicken prices by 8x that of rice. Maize feeds
mostly into the poultry industry
• Economically maize is much more profitable
than pulses
21

22. Policy implications
• Research and development efforts for pulses
need to be strengthened to incorporate pulses in
the cereal-intensive cropping system
• Farmers’ easy access to agriculture extension and
other support and advisory services is necessary
to build their awareness on pulses to diversify the
cereal-cereal crop rotations
• Guidelines should be developed and, if necessary,
market prices guaranteed to encourage farmers
to diversify their cropping pattern
22