Overview

Rice is the staple food and the most important crop in Bangladesh, playing a crucial role in the country's culture, livelihood, and economy. Food security in Bangladesh is closely linked to rice security. With over 11 million hectares dedicated to rice cultivation, this crop provides 48% of rural employment and accounts for 70% of daily caloric intake. Paddy rice production in Bangladesh has nearly quadrupled since 1971, growing from 15 million tons to an estimated 55 million tons in 2024, making it the third-largest rice producer in the world.

However, despite these impressive achievements, the rice sector faces numerous challenges. Climate change effects, such as increased natural disasters—including floods, droughts, salinity, heat, and cyclones—pose significant threats to rice yields. With the population projected to increase by 15% by 2040, the urgency to boost productivity is heightened by the shrinking availability of arable land, water scarcity, and labor shortages. Other challenges include limited access to innovations, low profitability, and inefficient value chains.

In response to these challenges, IRRI (International Rice Research Institute) collaborates closely with the Government of Bangladesh through a joint 5-Year Workplan. IRRI's research and development priorities in rice-based agrifood systems include: 

• Breeding improved rice varieties
• Improve nutrition and health of rice value chain actors  
• Building climate-smart rice value chains
• Sustainable management of natural resources and environment  
• Sustainable intensification and diversification of rice-based systems  
• Strengthening seed systems
• Mechanization and postharvest innovation
• Digital agriculture  
• Socioeconomic research including policy and gender and  
• Capacity building 

IRRI’s work in Bangladesh is supported by CGIAR, the Gates Foundation, ADB, KGF Bangladesh, and HSBC. In collaboration with the government, national agricultural research and extension systems (NARES), both the public and private sectors, development partners, and farmers, IRRI is committed to developing productive, efficient, resilient, sustainable, and inclusive rice-based agrifood systems. This initiative leverages modern science, technology, and innovation in Bangladesh.