Agriculture stays heavily reliant on diesel despite electrification
BBS Yearbook of Agricultural Statistics 2025 shows that of more than 14 lakh shallow tube-wells in operation in FY25, 951,048 run on diesel and 449,340 on electricity.
Despite years of electrification, diesel remains the backbone of Bangladesh's mechanised agriculture, with its use increasing again in some key equipment categories, according to fresh government data.
The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics' (BBS) Yearbook of Agricultural Statistics 2025 shows that of more than 14 lakh shallow tube-wells in operation in FY25, 951,048 run on diesel and 449,340 on electricity.
Diesel's dominance is even stronger in other farm machinery. Of the country's 335,747 power tillers, 333,928 are diesel-powered and just 1,819 run on electricity, while all 21,989 tractors use diesel.
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Deep tube-wells also recorded a resurgence in diesel use. Diesel-powered units rose from 779 in FY24 to 1,249 in FY25, up about 60%, while the number of tractors increased from 18,939 to 21,989, or roughly 16%.
However, not all categories followed a similar trend. Diesel-powered shallow tube-wells, low-lift pumps (LLPs) and power tillers declined by around 9%, 12% and 12%, respectively, over the same period.
Electrification has progressed over the past five years but has yet to displace diesel. Diesel-powered shallow tube-wells fell from 1,031,464 in FY21 to 951,048 in FY25, while electric units increased from 378,225 to 449,340.
Diesel-run deep tube-wells showed a more volatile pattern, dropping from 1,896 in FY21 to 779 in FY24 before rebounding to 1,249 last fiscal year.
BBS to investigate possible data discrepancy
Muhammad Badiul Alam Sarkar, chief engineer of the Minor Irrigation Wing at the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation, told The Business Standard that the sharp rise in diesel-powered deep tube-wells may reflect inconsistencies in the BBS yearbook, noting that the usage of diesel-powered machinery has been in decline for several years now.
When contacted, Md Saidur Rahman, joint director of the BBS Agriculture Wing, said the published figures would be reviewed and reverified.
On solar-powered irrigation pumps as an alternative to diesel, Badiul said high upfront costs continue to deter marginal farmers despite government incentives. He also cited a shortage of skilled technicians, as solar pump installation remains a relatively new technology in Bangladesh.
