The Staple Food of the People of Bangladesh

The Staple Food of the People of Bangladesh

Rice is the staple food of the people of Bangladesh. It is obtained from the seed of a plant called paddy. Paddy grows well in hot and most climates and in low-lying land where rain water stands. Bangladesh is one of the largest producers of it.

There are four kinds of paddy which grow in our country. They are Aus, Aman, Boro and IRRI. Aus is sown in April and reaped in July or August. Aman is transplanted in between July and August and reaped in December. Boro is transplanted in winter and reaped in spring. Recently, IRRI is widely cultivated throughout the year for its high yield. Of these four kinds Aman is the best in quality.

There are two distinct processes of the cultivation of paddy. One is sowing and the other is transplanting. In the first process the seeds are sown in the fields. But in the second process the seeds are scattered on muddy lands. When they grow up to one or, one and half feet in height, they are transplanted in another field already prepared for the purpose. In both the cases the fields are ploughed, harrowed and matured well.

When the paddy is ripped, the grains are separated from hay. Then by husking paddy we get rice. Rice from paddy may be of two kinds. Atap and Siddha or boiled. When paddy is dried and husked, it is called Atap or unboiled rice. When the paddy is first boiled and then dried and husked it is called boiled rice.

Rice is the main food of the people of Bangladesh. Various kinds of food are prepared from it. It is also used in making various kinds of breads and cakes. Some delicious foods like Polao, Biriani, Khichuri etc are made from fine rice.
No other food crop is really so useful as rice in Bangladesh. The people of Bangladesh cannot go even for a day without it. So, we should take all necessary steps to increase its production to meet the growing needs of the country.