WATER STRESS EFFECT ON THE FACTORS OF PRODUCTION OF IRRIGATED RICE IN NORTHWEST REGIONS OF BANGLADESH

Water Stress Effect on the Factors of Production

Abstract

Like all animals, plant growth and productivity depend on water. Water plays an important role in plant vegetation as well as economic gain from the crop plant cultivation. An in-depth analysis is performed to see the impacts of water availability on functional factors of irrigated rice (Boro) production and productivity. Primary and secondary data were used to perform the qualitative and quantitative analysis. Primary data were collected from five districts of northwestern regions of Bangladesh considering the severity of groundwater scarcity. A total 643 samples were selected from irrigated rice (Boro) producer across the regions to analyze the water stress effect on factors of production and productivity. Severity of water stress has positive relationship with irrigation and pesticide cost, and negative relationship with lease value, labor and seed cost. Remaining two factors of production such as fertilizer and tillage cost shows a volatile indicator in water stressed condition. In the water stressed areas, though irrigation cost is higher, and farmers get lower yield from their land, but the net return is not much lower compared to less water stressed areas because of getting higher price of rice in the water stressed regions. The water stressed effect on irrigated rice production is significant which leads the policy maker to think of factors preventing farmers to adopt less water consuming crop varieties in the drought prone areas of Bangladesh and rice market to reach equilibrium price during the season.