Soaring food prices and neglected farm sector

FE Team | Published: August 29, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Shamsul Huq Zahid
Has anyone ever considered the need for preparing a roadmap for the agricultural sector that despite its declining share in the gross domestic product (GDP) remains to be the prime mover for economic progress of the country? Not yet.
There was a time when the peasantry used to concentrate on the production of rice, jute, oil seeds, pulses and vegetables. But for the last three decades, the farmers have been applying their raw sense of economics and switching over from one crop to another, including newer ones.
However, the growers have stayed with the production of cereals, mainly because of their higher production through the application of high yielding seeds, fertilisers and irrigation.
What has been the most prominent feature of the agricultural sector in the recent time is the expansion of Boro rice cultivation. The acreage under Boro rice expanded by more than 160 per cent during last 22 years, while the output from the same increased by 250 per cent. The production of Aman rice increased by 3.0 million tonnes though there had been no tangible increase in area under the crop during the same period.
However, the phenomenal increase in both acreage and production of Boro rice has not been not without a cost. Since the Boro rice is a dry season crop, its expansion has resulted in the shrinkage in areas under other Rabi (dry season) crops, mainly pulses and oil seeds.
According to official statistics, the area under the cultivation of pulses declined to 0.8 million acres in 2005-06 from 1.94 million acres in 1984-85 and the production of the crop decreased to 0.28 million tonnes from 0.55 million tonnes during the same period.
Similarly, during the same period, both area and production of oil seeds declined by more than 50 per cent.
There is no denying that substantial increase in rice production has helped the nation to spend less on food imports, particularly in the backdrop of a substantial decline in food aid in recent years. However, the spending on the import of edible oils and pulses, spices etc., has gone up remarkably. So, the net saving on account of increased cereal production remains a matter of calculation.
The need for production of oil seeds, pulses and spices in larger quantities is now being felt more than ever before because of their soaring prices in the international market.
But as far as crop-planning is concerned, Bangladesh is in a catch-22 situation because of its limited land area. If the country decides to be self-sufficient in cereal production, it has to remain dependent on outside sources to meet its demands for other food items such as edible oils and pulses.
The ever expanding population has made its problem even more complicated. According to a recent study, about one per cent of arable land is lost every year to accommodate residential houses, roads and highways, industries and other infrastructures. If such aggression continues, which is very likely, the entire agricultural land would be lost within next 50 years. This could appear an absurd finding to many. But if they go along the roads and highways and pay a visit to rural areas keeping their eyes open, they might feel like changing their opinion.
Maybe, after five to six decades, the country would be fully dependent on imported food items, from green chilly to rice. But until that period, the government does need to prepare an effective plan that would ensure the maximum agricultural output.
At the moment, it seems, everything is left to the farmers, the majority of whom are illiterate or half-educated. The government has kept its efforts confined to making available a few farm inputs to the growers. On most occasions, however, it has been failing even to do that. The thrust that the agricultural sector deserves to maximize its output is not there.
In the absence of proper actions at the ground level, the improved farm technology introduced in this country more than three decades back has failed to bring about the results comparable to that of other countries such as China and Vietnam. Many Asian countries have now switched over to 'hybrid' farm technology.
Though a section of environmentalists have expressed their concern over the introduction of hybrid farm technology in Bangladesh, the government needs to look into the possibility of making the technology popular among the farmers. There was similar hue and cry when the HYV technology was first introduced in this country. There is no denying that such technology has contributed to the extinction of many local rice varieties. But its benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
It is high time for the government to do the arithmetic relating to cropping pattern and draw a plan matching the much needed emphasis on the latest farm technology. The recent hike in prices of most food items in the global market has made it all the more necessary. However, to make such a plan a reality, the activities of the extension officials of the agricultural directorate at the grassroots would be required to be geared up.