Form commission to ensure \\\'incentive prices\\\' for crops

Farmers' rights organisations Monday pressed for formation of a national price commission (NPC) to ensure 'incentive prices' for their crops.
They said the commission will fix the minimum support price (MSP), which can shield farmers from the price debacle.
Representatives from the organisations also demanded raising allocation for the agriculture sector in terms of total budgetary allocation, which they said is essential for the food security in the country.  
The demands were made at a conference on "National Budget 2014-15, Farmers' Expectations and Reality: Inadequate Budget for Agriculture is Suicidal for Future Self-sufficiency in Food," organised jointly by Labour Resource Center, Bhumihin Samity, Bangladesh Kishani Shova, Bangladesh Adibasi Samity, COAST Trust, and EquityBD, among others.
Chief moderator of Equity BD Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said farmers and their representatives have been demanding a NPC for the last two decades.
He said the government in the past promised to form the commission, but it remained just announcement.
He demanded initiating the activities of the commission immediately, which will set a MSP for every crop.
Ensuring an MSP will boost both the income of farmers and crop output of the country, he said.
He said: "The neighbouring India has formed NPC and MSP just few years after its independence, but we are still lagging behinds."   
Director at Coast Trust Md Mujibul Haque Munir presented the keynote which revealed that allocation for agriculture has been declining consistently.
The paper said the size of the national budget has increased by 23.13 per cent compared with that of the outgoing financial year.
But allocation for agriculture has increased only by 3.43 per cent, the paper said.  
Allocation for the agriculture ministry (excluding incentives) was 5.12 per cent in FY'15, which has been only 4.30 per cent (excluding incentives) in the proposed budget for FY'16.  
The keynote said proportionately it has been the lowest allocation in the last five years.
Agricultural subsidy has remained same Tk90 billion for FY'16 as it was in FY'15.
"Its real value will decrease if we take in account the projected 6.2 per cent of inflation," the paper said.
Secretary of Bhumihin Samity Subal Sarkar said the budget is not farmers-friendly; rather it will help big businesses and their allied middlemen who take all benefits of farmers' hard work.
Executive director of Unnayan Dhara Aminur Rasul Babul said declining allocation for the agriculture is "suicidal" for an import-oriented country like Bangladesh.
He said foodstuffs are always sensitive products.
He said, "We have an experience in the financial year 2008-9, when we couldn't buy rice from the global market, even after offering double prices."  "So, we must to be self-sufficient in some crops including rice, wheat, vegetables, edible oil etc. There is no alternative to it," he said.
Convener of Kendrio Krishok Moitri Aluaddin Shikder said it is now a challenge to keep farmers in the agriculture at a time when non-farm sectors grow.
"Increasing facilities for the farm and farmers and ensuring profits for their crops are the key ways to hold the peasantry near to the land and it is mandatory to ensure foods for the future generation," he added.  
President of Bangladesh Krishak Federation Badrul Alam conducted the press conference while chairman of Bangladesh Agricultural Farm Labour Federation Golam Sarwar, and Bangladesh Adibasi Samity chairman Biswanath Singh also spoke.
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