Coordination among ministries for integrated agri policy stressed
FE Report | Friday, 1 April 2011
FE Report
Coordination among the ministries concerned on agricultural issues is needed for formulating an integrated agriculture policy. Representatives from farmers' organisations made the observation while speaking at a seminar titled "the National Agriculture Policy 2010: Proposals of the Farmers' Organisations for the Final Draft" in the city Thursday. Integrated Community and Industrial Development in Bangladesh and Jatio Krishi Parjalochana Committee organised the seminar. Addressing the seminar, representatives from 20 farmers' organisations stressed the need for close coordination among the five ministries -- those of land, agriculture, water resources, fisheries and livestock and environment and forest. They said that all the ministries were interlinked with agriculture but every ministry had different policies concerning agriculture. Such divergent policies are barriers to preparing and introducing an agriculture policy which is ideal for the farmers specifically for the marginal ones, the farmers' leaders observed. Anowarul Islam Babu, secretary of Jatio Krishok Jote (a union of farmers), mentioned that the policy to lease out the water bodies for commercial purposes are depriving the marginal farmers of their rights over water and fish. Md Nazim Uddin, vice-president of Krishok Dal (farmers' wing of Bangladesh Nationalist Party), pleaded for establishing an agricultural marketing chain for the benefit of farmers. "A farmer friendly chain market will be able to ensure fair prices of the farmers' products," he observed. Speaking on the occasion, Shajahan Kabir Jahir, secretary of Shanjukto Krishok O Khetmojur Samity, stressed the need for reintroducing the environment-friendly indigenous farming methodologies.
Coordination among the ministries concerned on agricultural issues is needed for formulating an integrated agriculture policy. Representatives from farmers' organisations made the observation while speaking at a seminar titled "the National Agriculture Policy 2010: Proposals of the Farmers' Organisations for the Final Draft" in the city Thursday. Integrated Community and Industrial Development in Bangladesh and Jatio Krishi Parjalochana Committee organised the seminar. Addressing the seminar, representatives from 20 farmers' organisations stressed the need for close coordination among the five ministries -- those of land, agriculture, water resources, fisheries and livestock and environment and forest. They said that all the ministries were interlinked with agriculture but every ministry had different policies concerning agriculture. Such divergent policies are barriers to preparing and introducing an agriculture policy which is ideal for the farmers specifically for the marginal ones, the farmers' leaders observed. Anowarul Islam Babu, secretary of Jatio Krishok Jote (a union of farmers), mentioned that the policy to lease out the water bodies for commercial purposes are depriving the marginal farmers of their rights over water and fish. Md Nazim Uddin, vice-president of Krishok Dal (farmers' wing of Bangladesh Nationalist Party), pleaded for establishing an agricultural marketing chain for the benefit of farmers. "A farmer friendly chain market will be able to ensure fair prices of the farmers' products," he observed. Speaking on the occasion, Shajahan Kabir Jahir, secretary of Shanjukto Krishok O Khetmojur Samity, stressed the need for reintroducing the environment-friendly indigenous farming methodologies.