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Restoring Balance: Bangladesh’s Rural Energy Realities
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Table 2.4. Distribution of Biomass Supply Sources by Energy Type Energy Type (%) Supply Source Chittagong Own production Gathered Purchased
Fuelwood
Tree Leaves
Crop Residue
Dung Cake/Stick
14.0 61.9 24.1
57.8 41.2 1.1
69.4 28.8 1.8
82.8 3.6 13.6
Dhaka Own production Gathered Purchased
6.3 26.9 66.8
55.5 43.9 0.6
72.2 15.0 12.8
23.2 9.2 67.6
Khulna Own production Gathered Purchased
7.6 32.4 60.0
55.5 40.3 4.2
66.6 25.7 7.8
92.5 1.3 6.2
Rajshahi Own production Gathered Purchased
7.3 55.4 37.3
41.0 58.9 0.1
67.5 28.3 4.2
25.0 17.1 57.9
All divisions Own production Gathered Purchased
11.0 49.8 39.3
52.2 46.3 1.4
68.5 24.7 6.8
72.2 5.3 22.5
Source: BIDS Survey (2004).
Indeed, about 40 percent of all fuelwood is now purchased from local markets; in Dhaka, the proportion is nearly 67 percent (see Table 2.4). Given that fuelwood constitutes the major portion of energy consumption, its increasing commoditization has major implications for energy costs, an issue addressed in Chapter 3. The marketplace is also a major source of other biomass energy supplies, including dung cakes or sticks, particularly in Dhaka and Rajshahi. As Table 2.4 indicates, more than half of tree leaves are still gathered, while most crop residue is derived from residents’ own production. Recent development of rural markets for biomass energy reflects an increase in overall supply; but perhaps more important, a decrease in local supply. The implications for cooking fuels and their increasing scarcity in the local environment suggest the need for policy dialogue on the evolving status of cooking fuels in rural Bangladesh.
Energy for Lighting In rural Bangladesh, some 70 percent of energy consumed for lighting is derived from kerosene and most of the other 30 percent from electricity (Box 2.1). Nearly 100 percent of