Importance of agriculture in a developing economy like that of Bangladesh needs no elaboration. However, it seems worthwhile to point out that economic dependence on agriculture in terms of population has started declining. The number of persons engaged in agriculture sector decreased from 78 per cent in 1973 to 48 per cent in 2014-15. The contribution of agriculture to gross domestic product (GDP) have also declined in percentage terms from 49.1 per cent in 1972-73 to 29.6 per cent in 2014-15. Concern lies with the sluggish growth of agriculture sector. There is, besides, inter-regional discrepancy in agricultural performance. Construction of a coal-based power plant at the vicinity of the Sundarbans, therefore, requires serious attention and review. New agriculture technology has already been introduced for augmenting productivity. Unfortunately, the planners have largely overlooked technology adoption and its spread, particularly in coastal belt. This requires immediate attention to revitalise the agriculture sector. Heterogeneity in agro-climate (factors) condition in the coastal belt is widely known; variation is caused by soil texture, land topography, river system, soil salinity and finally by climatic factors like monsoon rain and cyclonic storm. The Farakka Barrage upstream the Ganges in India has already taken a heavy toll on livelihood, agriculture, flora and fauna and aquaculture not only in downstream Bangladesh but also in Indian states like Bihar and Paschim Bangla. For any meaningful strategy for any development in the coastal belt, planning should have addressed the problem. THE ENDANGERED SUNDARBANS: The Sundarbans, the biggest mangrove forest in the world, lies on the delta of the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal, with a total area of 10,000 km2. About 60 per cent of the forest lies in Bangladesh and the rest in India. The land area, including exposed sandbars, occupies 414,259 ha (70 per cent) with water bodies covering 187,413 ha (30 per cent). The three wildlife sanctuaries in the south cover an area of 139,700 ha and are considered core breeding areas for a number of endangered species. The site is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests and presents an excellent example of ongoing ecological processes. It is the only remaining habitat in the lower Bengal Basin for a wide variety of faunal species. It is also rich in fauna with 693 species of wildlife which include 49 mammals, 59 reptiles, 8 amphibians, 210 white fishes, 24 shrimps, 14 crabs and 43 mollusks species. The varied and colourful bird-life found along the waterways of the property is one of its greatest attractions, including 315 species of waterfowl, raptors and forest birds including nine species of kingfisher and the magnificent white-bellied sea eagle, the Royal Bengal tiger and other threatened species such as the estuarine crocodile, Irawadi dolphins and the Indian python. There are 334 plant species belonging to 245 genera and 75 families, 165 algae and 13 orchid species. The Sundarbans Reserve Forest (SRF), situated in a unique bioclimatic zone within a typical geographical situation in the coastal region of the Bay of Bengal, is a landmark of ancient heritage of mythological and historical events. As the Sundarbans provides a significant example of on-going ecological processes. It represents the process of delta formation and the subsequent colonisation of the newly-formed deltaic islands and associated mangrove communities. These processes include monsoon rains, flooding, delta formation, tidal influence and plant colonisation. As part of the world’s largest delta, formed from sediments deposited by three great rivers, the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna, and covering the Bengal Basin, the land has been moulded by tidal action, resulting in a distinctive physiology. The Sundarbans supports an exceptional level of biodiversity in both the terrestrial and marine environments, including significant populations of globally endangered cat species, such as the Royal Bengal Tiger. Natural calamities, such as cyclones, have always posed threats on the values of the property. There are, besides, saline water intrusion and siltation. Cyclones and tidal waves cause some damage to the forest along the sea-land interface. Therefore, the key objective should be to keep Sundarbans free from any hazard to retain its biodiversity, aesthetic values and integrity. A delicate balance is needed to maintain and facilitate the ecological process of the property on a sustainable basis. Another key management priority is the maintenance of ongoing ecological and hydrological process which could otherwise be threatened by ongoing developmental activities outside the property. The Sundarbans provides sustainable livelihoods for millions of people in the vicinity of the site and acts as a shelter belt to protect the people from storms, cyclones, tidal surges, sea water seepage and intrusion. The area provides livelihood in certain seasons for large numbers of people living in small villages surrounding it, working variously as wood-cutters, fisherman, honey gatherers, leaves and grass gatherers. Storms, cyclones and tidal surges up to 7.5 m high, while features of the areas, also pose a potential threat with possible increased frequency as a result of climate change. THE ECONOMICALLY DEPRESSED REGION The coastal belt of Bangladesh is one of the economically depressed regions of the country. Despite having potential to accelerate growth, this region is lagging in many aspects. The primary reason for sluggish growth of coastal agriculture sector is the administrative negligence to the role of agro-climatic factors of the coastal area. It is natural that the coastal areas of Bangladesh which suffer from lack of infrastructure facilities like electricity and adequate non-agricultural activities, are still dominated by agriculture activities. Thus the development of coastal region and coastal agriculture are synonymous. Share of coastal belt in the country’s total agricultural output has, more or less, maintained harmony with its share in population and total cultivable area. Unfortunately, during the recent past, the picture is slowly drifting away – the share of coastal zone in the country’s total, due to poor performance of the sector, declined from around 24 per cent to 23 per cent. The shares of the region in population and cultivable area remained more or less stagnant. Increase in regional imbalance in the performance of agriculture sector during in a recent study period is well documented by the fact that the nation experienced 24 per cent increase in agriculture production as against only 15 per cent in coastal zone. A comparison of considered sub-period changes further reveals that discrepancies between coastal zone and other parts of the country are increasing. This is because of the difference in the prevalence of new agriculture technology in the mainland and the coastal areas which seem to be lagging behind in adopting new agriculture technology. Ecological balance and sustainability are very pertinent to the development of the coastal belt. Agriculture of coastal zone is uncertain due to various reasons like climatic fluctuation of abnormal order. Agriculturists are habituated to cyclonic disturbances of normal order. Unfortunately, during a period of 44 years, from 1972 to 2016, the coastal zone witnessed 57 cyclonic storms. The figure indicates high incidence of calamity when compared to 45 cyclonic storms during a period of 176 years, from 1795 to 1971. Some of the cyclones during the period were unprecedented in intensity. Flood and drought are two other disturbing factors. In Bangladesh, coastal belt is a backward region. With respect to many growth accounting parameters, this region is lagging behind the national average. An investigation of the trend of intra-regional variation in economic growth, particularly in the coastal belt, may help identifying the causes of backwardness of this region.
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