Rice Variety Preferences in Bangladesh – What is the Role of Public Breeders?

This study compared preferred rice varieties by millers and farmers in Bangladesh, hypothesizing that public breeders would focus on public goods like disease resistance, whereas private breeders would focus on profits in the entire chain. Primary data were collected from 99 farmers and 68 millers, who are among the key stakeholders in the rice production system. A four-point rating scale was designed to assess the level of preference for different traits of the selected rice varieties. It was found that farmers who prioritize disease resistance prefer the public over privately bred Aman rice varieties. In general, they prefer rice varieties that are high yielding, have high market value and are of short duration while millers prefer rice verities considering the size and shape, color, and milling performance of the grains. Most significantly, millers prefer privately bred rice varieties if compared to farmers. It can be concluded that public rice breeders should take efforts to also consider the needs of intermediaries in the chain.