Dr Mahabub Hossain, head of the Social Science Division of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), came up with the observation at an international agricultural meeting that began in the city yesterday.

"Investment in boro is very high. Cultivating boro now is becoming less economic if one compares the current investment with that of 2004 due to rising prices of fertiliser and diesel," said Dr Mahabub, also the coordinator for an IRRI flagship project Consortium for Unfavourable Rice Environment (Cure).

Agriculture Minister MK Anwar, IRRI Director General Dr Robert S Zeigler and Cure Steering Committee Chairman Dr Suyamto also spoke at the inaugural session of the two-day 5th annual meeting of Cure at the Brac Centre.

IRRI Liaison Scientist in Bangladesh Dr MA Hamid Miah conducted the programme chaired by Director General of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) Dr M Mahiul Haque.

Giving an overview of Cure initiatives, Dr Mahabub noted that while farmers in Bangladesh get only 3.5 tonnes of rice per acre in rain-fed aman season, they get 5.1 tonnes in irrigated boro.

"But for this, farmers have to make a heavy investment," he added.

Both Mahabub and Anwar spoke of dwindling arable land in the country because of high demands for land for urbanisation, habitation and industrialisation.

The agriculture minister mentioned four unfavourable eco-agricultural conditions submergence, drought, salinity and arsenic to say, "We can ill-afford to neglect theses factors" and called for developing verities suitable for unfavourable conditions.

Anwar laid emphasis on agricultural research, as he saw no possibilities of increasing croplands which are fast depleting for other purposes.

" Theoretically speaking there would be no tillable land left in Bangladesh in 50 years if the arable lands are taken away for non-farm purposes at current annual rate," he added.

Later BRRI Director Dr B A A Mustafi gave a special presentation on rice economy of Bangladesh at a session presided over by IRRI Deputy Director General Dr Ren Wang.