Overcoming input crisis facing Boro cultivation

Short supply of fertilisers and other agricultural inputs or abnormal rise in their prices leaves a serious impact on farm production. Higher production cost discourages farmers from bringing more land under cultivation, especially when fair price of their produce is uncertain. It is more so in case of rice production during the Boro season that contributes most to the country's annual rice production, some 55 per cent of the total. If production of the staple crop falls significantly, it will put food security at risk.

According to a report published in this paper, prices of urea and non-urea fertilisers have hit a record high--- much higher than the rates fixed by the government--- this year. Urea is being sold at Tk 33 per kilogram against the official rate of Tk 27 while the retail prices of Di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and Muriate of Potash (MOP) have been increased to Tk 31-32 and Tk 29-30 per kilogram though the government set them at Tk 21 and Tk 20 respectively. These signify a 25-40 per cent increase in the prices of fertilisers on a year-on-year basis. Setting price caps is not enough; strict monitoring should also follow to make it effective.

During the dry season with scanty rainfall, success of Boro cultivation is predominantly dependent on irrigation. But irrigation cost this season has surged by up to 15 per cent, rising to Tk 3,500-4,500 per 33 decimals due to short and irregular supply of electricity. A reason behind the rise in irrigation cost is that power crisis has forced most of the irrigation pump owners to switch over to costly diesel for their operation. This increased irrigation cost is much beyond the affordability of the lower middle, poor and marginal farmers.

However, these are not all about the rising expenses for production; cost of such other inputs and accessories such as seed, plough, pesticides, transport and labour cost has undergone a double-digit growth. As has already been mentioned, farmers will feel discouraged to expand rice cultivation for lack of affordability on the one hand and for fear of product prices falling much below the cost of production on the other. The government has set a target of 22 million tonnes of rice production in this Boro season against a production of 21 million in FY 24. The target in itself does not seem unrealistic but, given the increased prices of inputs, it is very likely that the target will not be fulfilled. This poses a threat to the country's food security. In that case more rice will have to be imported to meet the shortfall. Needless to mention, the unscrupulous sections of the traders will take advantage of production shortfall.

There are more things to be worried about. The present stock of DAP, MOP and Triple superphosphate (TSP) is much lower than the actual requirement, hardly enough to meet the demand until January. Though, according to the report, the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation, along with private sector importers, is trying to bring in the required quantity of fertilizer, there is no guarantee it can be accomplished in time as the previous Awami League government failed to clear payments to some foreign suppliers. It was obligatory for the authorities to make up the shortfall in time but they could not. They should now accelerate the process of storing up the required quantities of the inputs and distributing the same at subsidised rates. Power supply should also be made steady so that rice production is not at all hampered anywhere.

[email protected]