Govt starts providing free power to farmers in drought-hit region

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Mushir Ahmed
The government has started transmitting free electricity to farmers in north Bengal to pump underground water for irrigation after a severe lack of rain in the middle of monsoon threatened Aman crop, officials said Saturday.
Agriculture secretary Mustaq Ahmed said majority of the 9,500 pumps under the Greater Barind Project --- spread throughout the 16 northern districts --- have already started lifting underground water to irrigate land.
The extra-ordinary step was taken to combat a drought-like situation prevailing across the country, as rain dried up farmland due to a delayed monsoon in the plains.
Monsoon rains normally hit Bangladesh in June and run through September. The country gets more than 75 percent of its annual rainfall during this period.
But according to the meteorological department, rainfall during June was 37 percent below average while the first 22 days of July saw 24 percent lower precipitation than average for the period.
"It's a very unusual weather condition. It has hit Aman farming in the main rice-producing northern districts," Ahmed said, adding free power would help the farmers irrigate their land before the planting season is over.
He said each pump would get about 100 hours of free power to lift the required amount of water and the government would bear cost.
"We have already received an allocation of around Tk80 million to pay for the free power and more would follow."
The government would also subsidise diesel to millions of farmers who don't have access to electricity, he said, adding district administrations would decide how the fuel subsidy would be given.
"Aman is the second most important crop in the country and we'll do everything to make sure we harvest a robust yield," he added.
Shefaul Karim, Deputy Commissioner of Rajshahi district, one of the worst hit districts, said most of the pumps in the districts are operating in full swing, as the farmers have hardly received any rainfall this season.
"During the Bengali month of Ashar, we have rain only for two-three days. And in the first ten days of Shraban, there has been no rain," he said, adding all the farmland has been dried up.
Karim said the announcement of free power and cheap electricity provided some succor to the farmers, who have otherwise lost all hopes for Aman crop.
Aman crop is crucial for Bangladesh economy as it accounts for some 40 percent of the country's total foodgrains. Unlike the dry season Boro crop, it is also cheaper to cultivate as monsoon rain helps irrigate the land and make it ready for planting.
Experts said a severe shortage of Aman yield would be disastrous to the country's farmers and tens of million of poor as it would shoot up prices like the one witnessed in early 2008.
The government says it has a comfortable stock of around 1.2 million tonnes of foodgrain. But the amount is less than 10 percent of the projected Aman yield.
Head of the government's Food Planning and Monitoring Unit Ruhul Amin said a severe drought would hit the country's plains, if it does not receive adequate rain in the next two weeks,
"It will lead to massive shortfall in Aman crop," he said.
He said the country faced similar weather condition in 1991, when a delayed monsoon hit Aman harvest.