Paddy or rice is the staple food of about 170 million people of Bangladesh. Paddy sector contributes one-half of the agricultural GDP and one-sixth of the national income in Bangladesh. Almost all of the 15 million farm families of the country grow paddy. Paddy is grown on about 10.5 million hectares which has remained almost stable over the past three decades. Bangladesh is the world’s sixth largest rice-producer and one of the highest per capita consumer of rice.