What are the natural resources of Bangladesh? How these can be used?

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by sensekon... Member since: March 13, 2007 Total points: 49,451 (Level 7)

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The principal resources of Bangladesh are the fertile soils of the delta region, the long growing season, and the heavy rainfall suitably distributed over the year for growing rice and jute. The nation's abundant water supplies are used to produce hydroelectric power and for irrigating farmlands during the dry season. Although minerals have traditionally been economically unimportant, the country has large reserves of natural gas and some petroleum deposits. Natural gas is piped into Dhaka and CHITTAGONG for industrial use. There are also large deposits of low-grade coal, mined at Jamalpur. I must add that Bangladesh's natural resource is huge in terms of low-cost artisans, sea-farers and empowered women with tailoring skills. Her rieverine and coaster fish and sea food resourcebase is very substantial. All these including the fertile soil is as yet untapped/ underutilized in terms of potential production and more imoportantly productivity growth due to lack of adequate investments, inadequate opening up to foreign investments, land reforms besides political instability, terroism and corruption. Notes: 1. Economy : East Bengal--the region that was to become East Pakistan and now Bangladesh -was a prosperous region of South Asia until modern times. It had the advantages of a mild, almost tropical climate, fertile soil, ample water, and an abundance of fish, wildlife, and fruit. The standard of living compared favorably with other parts of South Asia. As early as the thirteenth century, the region was developing as an agrarian economy. It was not entirely without commercial centers, and Dhaka in particular grew into an important entrept during the Mughal Empire. The British, however, on their arrival in the early seventeenth century, chose to develop Calcutta as their commercial and administrative center in South Asia. The development of East Bengal was thereafter limited to agriculture. The colonial infrastructure of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries reinforced East Bengal's function as the primary producer--chiefly of rice and jute--for processors and traders in Calcutta and beyond.

The partition of British India and the emergence of India and Pakistan in 1947 severely disrupted the former colonial economic system that had preserved East Bengal (now East Pakistan) as a producer of jute and rice for the urban industrial economy around Calcutta. East Pakistan had to build a new industrial base and modernize agriculture in the midst of a population explosion. Pakistan's five-year plans opted for a development strategy based on industrialization, but the major share of the development budget went to West Pakistan, that is, contemporary Pakistan. Blame was placed by various observers on the West Pakistani leaders who not only dominated the government but also most of the fledgling industries in East Pakistan. More information about the economic exploitation is available. Post Independence Bangladesh had to face the devastation wrought by earlier economic exploitation during the Pakistan era as well as destruction of critical infrastructure during the war. After many years of economic problems, Bangladesh has started to rebound with steady growth in recent years. Agriculture Most Bangladeshis earn their livings directly or indirectly from agriculture. Rice and jute are the primary crops; wheat is assuming greater importance; and tea is grown in hilly regions of the northeast. Bangladesh's fertile soil and normally ample water supply yield three rice crops in many areas. Through better flood control and irrigation measures, more intensive use of fertilizers and high-yielding seed varieties, increased price incentives, and improved distribution and rural credit networks, Bangladesh's labor-intensive agricultural sector has achieved steady increases in foodgrain production. Bangladesh Ministry of Agriculture Foodgrain production in 1992 was about 20 million metric tons, a 5% increase over the previous year. Rice is Bangladesh's principal crop, although yields per hectare are among the lowest in Asia. While rice output rose 3.2% in 1992, much recent growth in foodgrain output can be attributed to the irrigated spring crop, which has increased steadily due to the greater availability of fertilizer and irrigation equipment. Wheat production also is expected to rise from 900,000 to about 1 million metric tons in 1992. Jute, which historically has accounted for the bulk of Bangladesh's export receipts, faces an uncertain future due to competition from synthetic fiber substitutes. Fishing, especially for shrimp, has become an increasingly important source of export earnings. Basic Information on Agriculture of Bangladesh Area of Bangladesh 147570sq.km Total population (January 1999) 128.1 million GDP (1998-99) 755.73 billion Tk. GDP Growth rate (1998-99) 5.2% Agricultural Growth rate (1998-99) 5.0% No. of Rural Household 17.83 million No. of non-Farm Household 6.03 million No. of Farm Household 11.80 million No. of Agril. Labour Household 6.40 million Small Household 80% (9.42 million) Medium Household 17.50% (2.08) million) Large Household 2.50% (0.3 million) Cultivated Area 17.77 million acres Cultivated Area per Household 1.5 acres

Cropping Intensity (1996-97) 174% Irrigation Area 8.59 million acres Although small, the industrial sector contributes significantly to export receipts; it also provides employment and a market for cash crops. Jute products--mainly burlap sacking and carpet backing for export--and cotton textiles for domestic consumption predominate. Since the early 1980s production of ready-made garments for the US market has grown rapidly. Bangladesh is the fifth largest supplier of cotton apparel to the United States, and it has begun exporting to West European markets. Breaking up ships for scrap, using methods that are highly labor intensive, now meets most of Bangladesh's domestic steel needs. Other industries include sugar, tea, leather goods, newsprint, pharmaceuticals, and fertilizer production. The industrial (and foreign exchange) impact of the discovery of modest reserves of oil in 1986 remains to be assessed. The government continues to court foreign investment. To this end, the United States and Bangladesh signed a bilateral investment treaty which took effect in 1989. Bangladesh also has established an export processing zone (EPZ) in Chittagong and plans to create additional zones. The government has offered special incentives and simplified procedures for potential investors. 2.The economy of Bangladesh is the 31st largest economy in the world as measured by purchasing power parity (PPP). It has made significant strides in its economic sector since its independence in 1971. Bangladeshi garments industry is one of the largest and comprehensive industry[citation needed] in the world. Before 1980, Bangladesh's economy and foreign exchange earnings were driven by the jute industry. However, this industry started to fall dramatically from 1970, when polypropylene products gained popularity over the jute products. Current GDP per capita of Bangladesh registered a peak growth of 57% in the Seventies immediately after Independence. But this proved unsustainable and growth consequently scaled back to 29% in the Eighties and 24% in the Nineties. Bangladesh has also made major strides to meet the food needs of its increasing population, through increased domestic production. Currently, Bangladesh is the forth largest rice producing country in the world. The land is devoted mainly to rice and jute cultivation, although wheat production has increased in recents years;[citation needed] the country is largely self-sufficient in rice production.[citation needed] Nonetheless, an estimated 10% to 15% of the population faces serious nutritional risk. Bangladesh's predominantly agricultural economy depends heavily on an erratic monsoonal cycle, with periodic flooding and drought. Although improving, infrastructure to support transportation, communications, and power supply is poorly developed. The country has large reserves of natural gas and limited reserves of coal and oil. While Bangladesh's industrial base is weak, unskilled labor is inexpensive and plentiful. Most Bangladeshis earn their living from agriculture. Although rice and jute are the primary crops, wheat is assuming greater importance. Tea is grown in the northeast. Because of Bangladesh's fertile soil and normally ample water supply, rice can be grown and harvested three times a year in many areas. Due to a number of factors, Bangladesh's labor-intensive agriculture has achieved steady increases in food grain production despite the often unfavorable weather conditions. These include better flood control and irrigation, a generally more efficient use of fertilizers, and the establishment of better distribution and rural credit networks. With 2000000.2 million metric tons produced in 1999, rice is Bangladesh's principal crop. National sales of the classes of insecticide used on rice, including granular carbofuran, synthetic pyrethroids, and malathion exceeded 13,000 tons of formulated product in 2003. The insecticides not only

represent an environmental threat, but are a significant expenditure to poor rice farmers. The Bangladesh Rice Research Institute is working with various NGOs and international organizations to reduce insecticide use in rice [4]. In comparison to rice, wheat output in 1999 was 1.9 million metric tons. Population pressure continues to place a severe burden on productive capacity, creating a food deficit, especially of wheat. Foreign assistance and commercial imports fill the gap. Underemployment remains a serious problem, and a growing concern for Bangladesh's agricultural sector will be its ability to absorb additional manpower. Finding alternative sources of employment will continue to be a daunting problem for future governments, particularly with the increasing numbers of landless peasants who already account for about half the rural labor force. Fortunately for Bangladesh, many new jobs - mostly for women - have been created by the country's dynamic private ready-made garment industry,[citation needed] which grew at doubledigit rates through most of the 1990s.[citation needed]By the late 1990s, about 1.5 million people, mostly women, were employed in the garments sector. During 2001-2002, export earnings from ready-made garments reached $3,125 million, representing 52% of Bangladesh's total exports. Eastern Bengal was known for its fine muslin and silk fabric before the British period. The dyes, yarn, and cloth were the envy of much of the premodern world. Bengali muslin, silk, and brocade were worn by the aristocracy of Asia and Europe. The introduction of machine-made textiles from England in the late eighteenth century spelled doom for the costly and time-consuming handloom process. Cotton growing died out in East Bengal, and the textile industry became dependent on imported yarn. Those who had earned their living in the textile industry were forced to rely more completely on farming. Only the smallest vestiges of a once-thriving cottage industry survived. At independence Bangladesh was one of the least industrially developed of the populous nations. Annual per capita consumption of steel and cement was only about one-third that of India, for example, and electric power consumption per capita was less than one-fifth.

Source(s):
http://www.virtualbangladesh.com/bd_geog http://www.bcas.net/Publication/Document http://www.virtualbangladesh.com/economy http://www.virtualbangladesh.com/economy http://www.virtualbangladesh.com/economy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_

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by Pedantic Exactitude Member since: August 19, 2007 Total points: 1,389 (Level 3)
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Hate to say it, but I think jute is about it. It can be used to make rope.
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4 years ago