Better seeds, machines can protect haor rice

In Bangladesh, Boro rice was cultivated on about 455,000 hectares in the haor region during the 2025-26 season. The region produces about 16 percent of the country’s dry-season rice and is vital to national food security. Haor farmers usually transplant seedlings in the December-January period and harvest between mid-April and mid-May. This narrow harvesting window coincides with pre-monsoon thunderstorms. Labour shortages further delay harvesting when large areas mature at the same time, while flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall in the upstream hills of Meghalaya and Assam threaten standing crops.

Rice cultivation in the haor region is almost entirely limited to a single Boro crop because of prolonged monsoon flooding. High-yielding and submergence-tolerant varieties developed by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (Bina), along with some hybrid varieties, are widely cultivated. Their life cycle is 140-145 days. Most farmers still grow medium-duration Boro varieties that mature in late April or early May. Of the 455,000 hectares under cultivation, about 70 percent is vulnerable to flash floods. Under normal conditions, these varieties produce high yields. However, when floods arrive early, large areas remain unharvested.

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Although the entire haor ecosystem faces the threat of pre-monsoon flash floods, studies indicate that 35-38 percent of the region is highly vulnerable. The 2026 disaster is significant but not unprecedented. The haor basin has experienced several devastating flash floods over the past two decades, with the worst occurring in 2007 and 2017. Rice losses were estimated at about 13 lakh tonnes in 2007 and 8.80 lakh to 15 lakh tonnes in 2017. In 2026, losses reached 2.13 lakh tonnes, worth about Tk 1,047 crore, mainly because of floods in April.

Over the past 20 years, cumulative flash flood-related rice losses in the haor region are estimated to have exceeded 40 lakh tonnes, representing economic losses worth several thousand crore taka. Agricultural scientists argue that the most practical adaptation strategy is the widespread adoption of earlier-maturing Boro varieties. If crops can be harvested 10-15 days earlier, much of the rice could be brought in before the high-risk flood period. BRRI dhan118 was developed for earlier nursery sowing in late October or early November because of its cold tolerance. The breeding line was specifically developed to help haor farmers establish nurseries earlier and avoid pre-monsoon flash floods.

Mechanical rice transplanters enable rapid, uniform planting using 18-20-day-old seedlings, which recover faster and establish earlier than those transplanted manually. They also improve plant spacing and field uniformity, reducing transplanting stress and increasing yields by about 10 percent while supporting earlier harvesting. Modern transplanters can plant about four hectares a day and sharply reduce labour needs. Studies and manufacturer data suggest mechanised transplanting can cut transplanting costs by 70-80 percent. If only the low-lying, flash flood-prone areas of the haor basin are targeted, about 2,600 rice transplanters would be needed to complete transplanting within a 30-day window.

The required investment, including transplanters and farmer training, would be about Tk 730 crore. It could be recovered within two seasons. Each season, mechanised transplanting could save about Tk 664 crore through higher yields worth Tk 477 crore, seed savings of Tk 44 crore and lower transplanting costs of Tk 143 crore. It could also reduce fatalities caused by thunderstorms in the haor region. Although the initial investment is substantial, it can be recovered within a few seasons through higher productivity and lower production costs, making mechanised transplanting a practical way to protect farmers’ livelihoods and strengthen national food security.

The writer is the managing director of ACI Motors