The country's elevation from a severely food-deficit one to a self-sufficient one is not a fairy tale. Rather, it is a reality made possible by concerted efforts from all beginning with agricultural scientists at the top to farmers at the field level. In a country where foods mean cereal to most people, yet another quiet revolution has taken place in the production of vegetables and a number of exotic crops. Bumper harvest of potato for consecutive years has seen the plummeting of its price at times below production cost. Irate and disappointed farmers were known to have shown no interest in getting their produce released from warehouses or cold storages because the cost involved was greater than the market price. Others simply allowed the stock to rot instead of disposing of in market.
Farmers were not overreacting like those who once made a bonfire of jute in protest of throw-away price or private dairy owners who expressed their seething anger by pouring out milk on roads from their cans together for lack of customers on account of political turmoil. This is not an ideal situation for farmers. So far as crop production is concerned, farmers have given a very good account of themselves. Marketing of farm produces however failed to live up to their expectation. Sure enough farmers cannot frame a marketing strategy for their produces unless the government gets a good grip on the situation. Insufficient infrastructure as well as fragmented farms in a small country does not provide an ideal situation for a well coordinated marketing network.
This year is no exception to the success story for farm outputs in various areas and a very disappointing turnover on them simply because of the on-going political instability. Farmers have, of necessity, responded to the emergency time and again. They have proved their ability to feed the nation. To their further credit, they have over the past few years appreciably diversified their production base. From fruits of many local varieties to flowers to exotic vegetables and fruits, they have left an indelible mark of success. If cauliflower, cabbage, beans and tomatoes are aplenty with their modest prices even at the beginning of the season, broccoli and capsicum are also easily available in any kitchen market of the city.
Similarly, plumes of the very finest indigenous type along with the germ plasma centre-developed Bau (Bangladesh Agriculture University) kul are found in the most unlikely places now. In the past plumes called narkeli baroi made their appearance only for a short time. This year they are in the market for several weeks. If this is not enough to highlight the innovative spirits of the country's agricultural scientists and resilience of farmers for adapting to changed environments, the success gained in cultivation of strawberry, an exotic fruit, should make a strong commentary on the positive episode of the country's farm history.
What is happening now is a total distortion of the marketing system. Farmers are hard put to transport their produces to destinations where those were sure to fetch them good proceedings. Even flower farmers with bumper yield could not make expected business on the occasions of Pahela Falgoon (first day of Basanta or spring) and the Valentine's Day. Many of the vegetables are costlier today because of disruption of supply. Farmers at a distance from the capital and other divisional cities or towns can somehow reach their produces to the urban centres but those living in hinterlands are in no position to send their produces to such urban points and are most likely to count losses. Condition of those who received loans for farming there is more precarious than can be imagined.
Farmers looked for alternative crops to cereals so that they did not have to incur losses on their farm produces. With advice and help from agricultural experts, they proved they were able to take up challenges when it came to shifting from one crop to another. Now their frustration is all the greater simply because instead of getting reward for their success, they are now being punished. All because distorted and nasty politics as practised by myopic politicians. Even in normal times, agricultural produces fail to bring income for them and those are left either to rot in field or fed to cattle. But usually that happens when farmers have already received handsome returns on their early seasonal produces.
Methods like cloning, cross-breeding, trans-genetic etc., are getting their results but all such efforts prove nothing to political intransigence. Clearly, farmers have been able to keep abreast of newer developments of the time but politicians here are failing to keep up with the pace of positive development. The total loss at the end of the current season is sure to cross billions of Taka. It will have left a very negative impact on the country's economy. Rural economy has been growing at a phenomenal pace. But perverse politics this year will cause irreparable damage to that economy. In developed countries farmers are offered various incentives and support so that they stayed in their occupation. Here farmers are yet to change their status quo simply because of their inability to bargain and get things done in their favour.
A country that has known food crisis in the past cannot remain indifferent to such an alarming development. When farmers would have taken their good work ahead, they are made to unnecessarily swallow the bitter pill of insufferable politics. If rural economy suffers, the entire economy will bleed as a result of the ripple effect. Its food security too will be under threat. Not a good prospect for a country aspiring to be a middle-income one soon.
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