Govt urged to raise budgetary allocation for agri sector
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
FE Report
Experts Tuesday called upon the government to increase allocation for agriculture sector in the national budget to boost production and protect the interest of farmers. They said the total budget allocation for agriculture sector is about five per cent only, though the sector adds around 24 per cent of the total GDP. They made the suggestion at a seminar titled 'Upcoming budget - peoples view'. It was organised by the Agriculturists Forum of Bangladesh at the National Press Club in the capital. Dr Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, an agro-economist, said: "There is hardly any scope for increasing cultivable land in Bangladesh. Currently, cropping intensity in the country is around 185 per cent." "So, the only possible option for increasing agricultural production is to increase both the cropping intensity and yields simultaneously," he said while presenting the keynote paper. He suggested development of agro-based industries, and enhancement of social safety-net. He also requested the government to introduce a subsidised insurance scheme for agriculture, livestock and poultry sectors, particularly to protect the farmers against natural disasters, like - hailstorm, flood and cyclone. Golam Rabbani, secretary general of the Agriculturist Forum of Bangladesh, said 58 per cent of the country's total population is involved in agriculture, but the budget allocation for the sector never reflects their aspiration. He observed that the government has taken a move to import eggs from India that would be disastrous for Bangladesh's poultry industry. BNP standing committee member M K Anwar said the finance minister also raised the question as to why the government is importing 5.0 million tonnes of food-grains, if the country has achieved self-sufficiency in food. The Awami League government claimed that they had made the country self-sufficient in food during its previous tenure (1996-2001), and they are claiming it until today, he added.
Experts Tuesday called upon the government to increase allocation for agriculture sector in the national budget to boost production and protect the interest of farmers. They said the total budget allocation for agriculture sector is about five per cent only, though the sector adds around 24 per cent of the total GDP. They made the suggestion at a seminar titled 'Upcoming budget - peoples view'. It was organised by the Agriculturists Forum of Bangladesh at the National Press Club in the capital. Dr Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, an agro-economist, said: "There is hardly any scope for increasing cultivable land in Bangladesh. Currently, cropping intensity in the country is around 185 per cent." "So, the only possible option for increasing agricultural production is to increase both the cropping intensity and yields simultaneously," he said while presenting the keynote paper. He suggested development of agro-based industries, and enhancement of social safety-net. He also requested the government to introduce a subsidised insurance scheme for agriculture, livestock and poultry sectors, particularly to protect the farmers against natural disasters, like - hailstorm, flood and cyclone. Golam Rabbani, secretary general of the Agriculturist Forum of Bangladesh, said 58 per cent of the country's total population is involved in agriculture, but the budget allocation for the sector never reflects their aspiration. He observed that the government has taken a move to import eggs from India that would be disastrous for Bangladesh's poultry industry. BNP standing committee member M K Anwar said the finance minister also raised the question as to why the government is importing 5.0 million tonnes of food-grains, if the country has achieved self-sufficiency in food. The Awami League government claimed that they had made the country self-sufficient in food during its previous tenure (1996-2001), and they are claiming it until today, he added.