TDS Desk:

Bangladesh is set to achieve a record maize harvest this year, thanks to a significant shift by farmers in the northern region from traditional wheat and paddy to corn cultivation.

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the country produced an all-time high of 4.87 million tonnes of maize from 0.514 million hectares of land in the last fiscal year (FY’24), with both winter and summer crops contributing to the output.

The area for maize has increased to above 0.55 million hectares this FY’25, with continuation of a decade-long upward trend in maize cultivation, said the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).

Experts attribute this shift to soaring demand from the poultry, livestock, and food processing industries, which has made maize a highly profitable alternative crop for farmers.

The price advantage, alongside technological improvements, has further fueled this transition, they said.

The harvest season for maize has just begun, and the ministry of agriculture expects production to hit a record 6.0 million tonnes this year.

In Nilphamari, DAE officials said that maize has been cultivated on 33,200 hectares this year, up from 28,000 hectares in FY24.

Wheat cultivation, in contrast, has sharply declined, with many wheat fields converted to maize, said a DAE official in Nilphamari.

Boro rice cultivation in Nilphamari has remained static at around 81,000 hectares as per official record.

Officials said that a noticeable portion of Boro land has also shifted to maize, which is now considered a high-return crop by many farmers.

Additional Director of the DAE in Rangpur region Md Shafiqul Islam said maize has been cultivated on 0.127 million hectares across five districts in the region-up from 0.117 million hectares last year.

Meanwhile, wheat cultivation has dropped to just 14,000 hectares in Rangpur region-nearly half the previous year’s acreage, said DAE.

Imtiaz Kabir Chowdhury, a farmer-cum-entrepreneur in Nilphamari, confirmed the declining trend in Boro production, noting that he has seen few paddy fields this year.

He said farmers can expect to harvest 35-40 maunds of maize per bigha (33 decimals), with production costs 20-30 per cent lower than that of Boro rice.

Newly-harvested maize is currently being sold by farmers at Tk24-25 a kg, while companies are purchasing it from contracted traders at Tk28-29 a kg.

If one could store some amount for just a month, he could even make Tk32-34 a kg and in the off season price surged to Tk36-40 a kg, he said.

The DAE estimates that maize acreage has expanded to 0.55 million hectares this year, nearly reaching the national demand of around 6.0 million tonnes.

Dr Salahuddin Ahmed, director general of the Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute, said that Bangladesh’s climate is highly suitable for maize cultivation.