Summary table

Factor	Details
Administrative Units	8 divisions, 64 districts, 492 upazilas, unions link
Major Crops	Rice, Jute, Wheat, Sugarcane, Tea
Agriculture Seasons	Rabi (Oct-Mar), Kharif (Apr-Sep)
Crop Production Ranks	Rice: Top 5, Jute: 2nd, Tea: Top 10
Food Security	Vulnerable due to natural disasters
Food Insecurity	Climate change impacts, uneven food distribution

Country context

Bangladesh faces food security challenges due to high population density, natural disasters, and uneven resource distribution. Climate change impacts, such as floods, droughts, and cyclones, significantly affect food production.

Statistical reporting units

Bangladesh is split into eight divisions, Dhaka, Chattogram/Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barishal, Sylhet, Rangpur, and Mymensingh, containing:

64 districts
492 upazilas, or sub-districts
and unions, the lowest administrative units.

Historically, the administrative hierarchy was defined by Divisions containing Regions containing Districts. The ‘Region’ administrative area is no longer used in Bangladesh, and where District-level information is available, we have not recorded the Region.

In general:

Data from 1982 – 2003 is reported by Region.
Data from 2003 – 2016 is reported by District.

We have an outside understanding of the division-region definitions as they existed for the years 1982 - 2015, and have included the appropriate division for the reported data, even if the source table does not provide it.

Units of measure

1.01605 Bales = 5.60 MT
2.47105 Acre = 1 Hectare
1.01605 Maund = 27.22 MT

Crop Data

Context

Year and season definition

There are two main growing seasons in Bangladesh:

Kharif Season (Spring/Summer): Crops are planted, grown, and harvested from July to October.
Rabi Season (Winter): Crops are planted, grown, and harvested from October to March.
A `sub-season,’ pre-Kharif, is defined, but not used to report in these sources.

Annual season in the context of Bangladesh refers to the period from April to April. Crops reported under the annual season are those whose production occurred and is reported within that timeline.

The year provided in the source refers to the time period from April to April.

Example, 2015 refers to April 2015 to April 2016.

Season	Start Date	End Date	Example
Rabi	October 1	March 31, Year +1	Rabi 2015 = October 1, 2015 - March 31, 2016
Kharif	July 1	September 30
Boro	December 1	May 31, Year +1
Annual	January 1	December 31

Primary crops

Major Crops are defined as Aus Rice, Boro Rice, Aman Rice, Potato, Wheat, and Jute.

Rice: Dominates agriculture, accounting for nearly 80% of the total cropped area. Among the top 5 producers globally.
Jute: A major export crop known as "golden fiber." Second-largest producer worldwide.
Wheat: Important cereal crop. Decreased cultivation in 2018-19 due to a shift towards more profitable crops. Favorable weather conditions and efficient seed and fertilizer management resulted in good yields despite reduced cultivation area.
Sugarcane: Significant for the sugar industry.
Tea: Significant export crop. Among the top 10 producers globally.
Other Crops: Pulses, oilseeds, fruits (mango, jackfruit, bananas), vegetables, and spices.

Binnidana is a quinoa-type grain introduced recently in Bangladesh. It was first reported in the 2018-2019 crop reports and is a Rabi crop fetching good prices in the capital. For more information, you can refer to the following resources:

Aus, Aman, and Boro Rice

We treat Aus, Aman, and Boro as the same crop (rice) being cultivated under different production systems. Bangladeshi sources treat Aus, Aman, and Boro as different crops reflecting a mixture of season, crop variety, and production systems.

Name	Season	Crop variety	Production system
Aus	Usually sown in the pre-monsoon season (March/April) Grown during the kharif season Harvested between July and August	Photoperiod insensitive Thermosensitive, perform best under summer conditions Dwarf in stature Grown under rainfed conditions and are prone to both drought and flooding Low yield and poor quality Growing period of 80–120 days	Broadcast
Aman	They are sown (broadcast) in March or transplanted following the aus harvest Mature throughout the kharif season Flower in October/November Generally cultivated December-January	Traditionally the main rice crop in Bangladesh Photoperiod sensitive Longer growth duration (120–160 days) means they are more productive than the aus rices Produce high quality, fine white grains	Broadcast and transplanted
Boro	Sown in October/November Transplanted around December/January Generally cultivated March-May	Photoperiod insensitive Adapted to mild winter conditions, showing some degree of cold tolerance Traditionally, have only been grown on land which retains sufficient water throughout the rabi season to support crop growth; increasingly adopted with improved irrigation High yield	Broadcast and transplanted; similar to transplanted aman both in their method of cultivation and crop habit

Methodology

Survey Method: Major crops are surveyed using direct observation of agricultural fields and facilities. All other crops are surveyed by interviewing farmers about recent planting/harvesting activity.
Sampling Locations: Approximately 10,000 sampling locations are used, visited four times a year, to estimate agricultural data.
Crop Calendar: Bangladesh has a well-defined crop calendar, and surveyors use this to accurately capture each crop's production and area planted.
Yield Calculation: When ‘Yields’ are provided by the Agricultural Yearbook sources, they are calculated by precisely measuring a small subset of the sampling locations. When Yields have not been provided, they are calculated based on reported area and production.
Crop Variants: In some cases, different crop variants were tracked in source documents, but only Total Crop figures are reported by FEWS NET. Source documents report Local, Pajam, Broadcast, HYV for Aman Rice; Broadcast, Local Transplanted, and HYV for Aus Rice; Local, HYV, and Hybrid for Boro Rice; Local, HYV, and Indian for Potato.

Data Correction

Steps have been taken to identify and correct flagrant errors in the data, such as misalignments, typos, and misreported figures.

Bangladesh Data Book