Record Rice Harvest in Bangladesh

And while the world is coping with a global food shortage, farmers in Bangladesh are harvesting a a record rice crop. It couldn't come at a better time for the millions of Bangladeshis living in poverty who might have otherwise faced starvation. Here's more: STORY: In the fields, farmers are racing to finish harvesting their rice crop. Last year, Bangladeshis lost nearly 3 million tons of foodgrains in two floods and a cyclone. But they're determined not to let history repeat itself. And with Cyclone Nagari now threatening Bangladesh after battering Burma, history repeating itself is a very real possibility. More than a third of the country's over 144 million people already have to skip one or two meals a day. About half the population spends 70 percent of their income on food, but often it's still not enough. But with the record amount of rice, this season is also seeing a bumper crop of hope. [Abdullah, Rice Farmer]: "This time the field is full of paddy, the production is very good by the grace of God. I hope we will not face a rice crisis in our country, this time we will be able to overcome the situation." Economists say rice has doubled in price over the past year and wheat is up 150 percent. Other than soaring international prices, analysts also blame import difficulties, high production costs and corruption for the food crunch. Experts say that with a population growing by almost 2 million every year, the rate of increase for rice production should be 3.5 percent. But instead over 200,000 acres of cultivable lands lost every year in Bangladesh due to river erosion, development and industrialization. For more news and videos visit ☛ http://english.ntdtv.com Follow us on Twitter ☛ http://twitter.com/NTDTelevision Add us on Facebook ☛ http://on.fb.me/s5KV2C