FE REPORT
The government should give the small farm households logical policy support to keep them in agriculture and achieve the rice output target of 47.2 million tonnes by 2050, said experts at a seminar on Sunday.
Without the policy support, commercialisation of agriculture will gradually force the small-scale farm households to disappear, they opined.
They also observed that a check and balance system is needed between commercial and subsistence agriculture for ensuring the country's future food security.
The experts made these observations at a seminar titled 'Leading Issues in Agricultural Development in Bangladesh'. The Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) organised the event at its office in the capital.
BIDS Director General Dr Binayak Sen moderated the seminar, where Shykh Serej, senior fellow of the institute and veteran journalist, was the key speaker.
Professor Emeritus Dr M A Sattar Mandal, former state minister for planning Dr Shamsul Alam, and former BIDS senior fellow N C Nath also spoke, among others.
Shykh Seraj said the country has to raise its rice production to 47.2 million tonnes within 2050 for ensuring its food security. But it would be very tough to achieve the target amid the declining trend of arable land, climatic changes, and plunge in number of farmers.
Apart from introducing multiple stress-tolerant varieties, more than 4.4 million hectares of land in the 17 costal districts should be brought under three-season cropping system.
He opined that commercialisation of agriculture will gradually force the small-scale farms to close. To keep these farms in agriculture, the government should give them logical supports, and introduce small and suitable farm machinery.
Mr Seraj also pointed out that despite having many good varieties, the country's agricultural sector has not yet achieved a breakthrough, with a mega variety like BRRI dhan 28 or 29, mainly due to weak research efforts.
By the time a variety is released for farmers after five years of research, the land conditions might change, making the variety less effective, he added.
Dr Shamsul Alam said 82 per cent of the country's economy is informal, with a significant portion being agriculture.
He noted that local agriculture sector is undergoing massive changes, and it should not be confined to a specific format in the context of food security. Instead, the farmers should have the freedom to decide the nature of their production.
Dr Alam also opined that producing solely for (ensuring) food security is not ideal since food items can be bought (from abroad), if resources are available.
Regarding the increase in market prices of food items, he pointed out issues like extortion on roads, transport management, and presence of syndicates.
The government should oversee these issues, and it should not be responsible for market management. Instead, the government should play a supportive role in ensuring fair market practices, he added.
Dr Sattar Mandal said of the 17.5 million farm households, 80 per cent have less than 1.0 acre of land.
He noted that small-scale farmers should be protected through cooperative or collective or cluster system.
Mechanisation is now inevitable, and it should be friendly to the marginal farmers, he added.
N C Nath said the government would have to continue input subsidies for the farmers and output incentives for the consumers.
Opportunity cost analysis is important while forcing the farmers (to opt) for a particular crop or any segment of farming.
Financial inclusion is the most crucial thing to retain the small farmers in cultivation, he added.
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