Sugarcane Cultivation Areas in Bangladesh Halved Over a Decade

In the region of Bangladesh, which includes the districts of Rajshahi, Natore, Naogaon, and Chapainawabganj, the areas under sugarcane cultivation have halved over the past ten years. This area is traditionally considered key for sugarcane growing; however, official statistics show a steady decline in the extent of its cultivation.

This is reported by AgroReview

Trends in Area Reduction and Yield

According to information from the Department of Agricultural Consulting, in the 2016/17 fiscal year, sugarcane crops occupied 40,867 hectares. By the 2025/26 year, this area has reduced to 19,340 hectares. Despite the stability in yield, overall production volumes have decreased proportionally to the reduction in area. If in 2016/2017 over 18 million tons of cane were harvested in the region, this figure has dropped to approximately 11.1 million tons in the current fiscal year.

Reasons for Production Decline

Local farmers point to low profitability, rising resource costs, and delays in payments from sugar mills as the main reasons for the reduction in cultivation. In particular, farmer Ahad Ali from the Paba area in Rajshahi notes that producers have to wait several months for payments, and the rising prices of fertilizers and labor make sugarcane cultivation economically unviable.

“With the rising costs of fertilizers and labor, sugarcane cultivation has ceased to be financially attractive.”

Thus, the reduction in sugarcane areas in Bangladesh is a result of a combination of economic factors and changes in the agricultural production structure of the region.