Irrigated Soil

Irrigated Soil cropland that gets water supply for higher production. irrigation plays an important role in Bangladesh agriculture by providing necessary water supply to different crops, particularly to boro rice and wheat during the dry season, although some irrigation is also necessary during the kharif season. Kharif season irrigation is mainly supplementary and is provided to aman rice. During kharif-I season (March - June) irrigation is provided to HYV aus, HYV transplanted aus, local transplanted and other aus, jute etc; during kharif-2 season (July - October) irrigation is provided to HYV aman, local improved transplanted aman, local aman, transplanted and mixed aman; during rabi season (November-February) irrigation is provided to boro rice, wheat, potato, sugarcane, pulse, oil seeds, etc. Of the total cropped area (about 13.53 million ha), the area under irrigation has increased from 1.52 million ha in 1982-83 to 3.99 million ha in 1996-97. The main increase has occurred in the area under shallow tubewell (STW).

Information on irrigated area under different major crops during rabi and kharif seasons of 1996-97 are presented in a table in the entry on irrigation. It may be mentioned that in the year 1996-97, boro rice accounted for 77.5% of the irrigated area followed by 10% for wheat, and 7.5% for other rabi crops. However, crop-wise information is not available for area irrigated by the large-scale canal irrigation system implemented by the bangladesh water development board. Comparatively large areas in the northwestern region of the country, which is considered to be drier than other regions, are under the irrigation system. [Md Shafiqur Rahman]

See also irrigation, landuse.