Natural Calamity of Bangladesh and Earning Sources

The natural calamity of Bangladesh ruined on Bangladesh much in the year 2007. Two times the crops damaged by flood. Later farmers invested their last wealth in their land and most of them took loan from various out sources. But they failed to take crops back to their houses which were their last resorts. Cyclone sidr damaged their last wealth at the finish of season.

Village housewives planted papaya tree in front of their kitchen, houses/yard which they take care of such as their children. Recent cyclone sidr damaged those trees and they are trying to protect it.

As soon as possible farmers in Bangladesh will start to reap paddy (boro season) in the next dry season (Irrigation). New army supported care taker government has made some rules and regulation to distribute fertilizers and seeds among the farmers to control fertilizer’s high price. They selected one dealer in every union council. Farmers should be maintain some formalities to buy fertilizers from the dealers such as purchasing issue cards, fixed date, current money, serial, time etc which are very difficult for the illiterate or poor farmers. Farmers also have to spend more time and money for buying fertilizer under these processes. But before they used to buy fertilizers from the grocery shops and sometimes they bound to buy on due. Because they are very poor. Then they didn't need any formalities, carrying cost, current money and spoil their valuable time. Recently we can observed (in Daily news papers) some of the farmers’ agitation demanding fertilizers in the various districts of Bangladesh. Though govt. declares that, they have plenty of fertilizers and they would appoint three sub-dealers in every union council which can be reduced farmers from sufferings.

Authorities need to make rules and regulations for going to the land or grassroots to make rules flexible for the farmers. If they make rules by sitting in their air-conditioned rooms and wearing black sunglass then they may have faced many kinds of problems with farmers in near of future.

Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. More than half of Bangladeshi people live below the national poverty line.

For their livelihoods urban people depend mainly on agriculture which is both depend on fertile and extremely vulnerable. Most of the country in this world made up of flood plain and while the alluvial soil provides well arable land, large areas are at risk because of frequent floods and many other natural climates which take plenty of lives and destroy crops, property and livestock.
In Bangladesh Child malnutrition rate is 48% which is the second highest in the world. A condition that is tied to the rural social status of women in Bangladesh society. About 20 percent of urban households live in poverty. Chronically majority of people suffer persistent food insecurity, own no cultivable field or wealth. Farmers are often illiterate and may also suffer from serious illnesses or disabilities. Another 29% of the urban people is moderately poor.
They may have a small plot of agriculture field and some livestock, but while they generally have sufficient to eat, their diets lack protein and other nutritional vitamins. This segment of the urban population is at risk of sliding deeper into poverty. As a result of health problems or natural disasters. Injury or crop failure caused by unexpected and severe weather conditions frequently ruins the livelihoods and the hopes of many people.
Small-scale farmers may overcome at either of these levels of poverty. Their lives are precarious, because of the seasonal nature of farm income and natural disasters like floods and drought may periodically destroy their crops and livestock. 

Bangladesh is primarily an increasing economy. Agriculture is one of the single largest producing sectors of economy in Bangladesh since it comprises about 30 percent of the countries GDP and employing around 60 percent of the total labor force. The performance of this sector has an overwhelming impact on major macroeconomic objectives such as poverty alleviation, employment generation, human resources development and food security. 

Meeting the nation's food requirements remains the key-objective of the govt. and in recent years there has been substantial increase in grain production. However, due to calamities such as loss of food, flood and cash crops is a recurring phenomenon which disrupts the continuing progress of the entire economy. 

Agricultural sector in Bangladesh are generally small. Through Co-operatives are use of modern machinery is gradually gaining popularity. Such as Rice, Jute, Potato, Sugarcane, Pulses, Wheat, Tea and Tobacco are main crops. The crop sub-sector dominates the agriculture sector contributing about 72 percent of all production. Fisheries, livestock and forestry sub-sectors are 10.33 percent, 10.11 percent and 7.33 percent respectively. 

Bangladesh is the largest producer country of world's best Jute, which also known as natural jute or raw jute (golden fiber). Rice being the main food, its production is of major important. Rice production stood at 20.3 million tons in 1996-97 B.C.. Crop diversification program, extension, credit, research and input distribution system pursued by the govt. are yielding positive results. The country is now on the threshold of attending self-sufficiency in food grain production.

Agriculture remains one of the most important  part of Bangladeshi economy, contributing 19.6% to the national GDP and providing employment for 63% of the population. Agriculture in Bangladesh is heavily dependent on the weather and the entire crops can be wiped out in a matter of hours when cyclones hit the country. According to the World Bank, the total arable field in Bangladesh is 61.2 percent of the total land area (down from 68.3 percent in 1980 B.C.). Farms are normally very small due to heavily increasing population, unwieldy land ownership and inheritance rules or regulations. The three important harvest- rice, jute and tea have dominated agricultural exports for decades, although the paddy is grown almost entirely for domestic consumption, while jute and tea are the main export exchange earners. In addition to these products, Bangladeshi farmers produce tobacco, sugarcane, cotton and various kinds of fruits. They are produce also vegetables (sweet potatoes, bananas, pineapples, etc.) for the local market.

Rice is the main food in the everyday diet of Bangladeshi people. The production of rice, which can be harvested two or even three times in a year, reached 19.9 million metric tons in 1998-99. The production of wheat reached about two million metric tons in 1998-99. Both crops maintain an important role in achieving self-sufficiency in food production. However, due to weather conditions the production of rice, jute and wheat fluctuate greatly, forcing Bangladesh to import food from the international market or turn to international aid. Bangladesh imported 1.6 million tons of wheat (mainly from the U.S.A) in 2000 in order to meet the demand in the rural market.

Jute, often called "golden fiber" of Bangladesh is the main export-earner for Bangladeshi agriculture, as Bangladesh remains the world's second-largest producer of jute (after India) and the world's biggest exporter of fiber. Jute is traditionally used for the fiber of burlap bags, carpet making, cheap paper and various kinds of other purposes. Its importance is so vital for the Bangladeshi economy comes from the fact that almost three million farms are involved in jute production. In 1999 Bangladesh export foreign exchange earnings from jute amounted to US$55 million, with the country producing 720,000 metric tons of jute, although this is about one-third of the jute production of the middle of 1980. The decline in jute production is attributed to declining world prices for this and farmers are switching to other crops.

Bangladesh also produces tea leaves, mainly for export, although the export of this product contributes only one percent of the country's hard currency earnings. In the year 1998-99 Bangladesh produced 56,000 metric tons of tea leaves, but it could produce twice that amount. The main obstacle to increasing production in falling prices for tea in the international and local market in management and regulation problems in the industry in Bangladesh.

Tropical rainforest played a vital role for maintaining the ecological balance in Bangladesh and forestry contributes 1.9% to the GDP (1999-2000). The forest covers around at least 17 percent of the country's territory, or 2.5 million hectares (6.18 million acres). The timber is used in construction industry as a source of building materials, by the printing industry as a source of raw materials to produce paper, and in the agricultural department as a source of burning wood. Commercial logging is limited to around 6.1 million cubic feet and the govt. plans to sow more trees within the next 15 years.

Fishing is another important source in the country, contributing 4.9 percent GDP (1999-2000) and providing 6 percent of the total export currency. The overall fish production was around 1.6 million metric tons (1999-2000). Bangladesh exports its shrimp to the international world market.