Misuse of farmlands sends alarm bell ringing

Alarm bells have already started ringing with fast shrinking of farm lands that virtually feed the nation. The country, for practical reasons, cannot simply afford to import all the eatables no matter how industrialised it becomes. The harsh reality is that the economy will continue to rely on agricultural lands for its sustenance.
A seminar organised by the Association for Land Reform and Development, in Dhaka last week was told on the basis of a recent research that an estimated 2,096 bighas of farmland and water bodies have been lost to non-agricultural uses daily in the decade since 2003. The study also revealed that almost 80 per cent of the lost lands were converted into homesteads. Then again, 17.4 per cent of alluvial farmlands  was eaten up for construction of schools, clinics, mosques and roads, taking the vital resource away from food production.
True, agriculture's contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has dropped sizeably with the passage of time. It now adds only 20 per cent to the GDP despite the fact that it did contribute 50 per cent when Bangladesh was liberated. Its role is still critical in terms of employment generation and poverty alleviation. Just think of whopping amount of foreign currencies the country will need to buy whatever the ever- bulging population eats. On the other hand, one cannot depend on the freaks of international market. The 2007-08 period is a grim reminder of what Bangladesh had faced in importing food grains to meet temporary shortages. Even the countries, known as granaries of the world, are facing tough time in producing enough for export due to climate change effects.      
According to the Labour Force Survey, agriculture still employs about 47 per cent of total employment of the country. Per capita food grain availability in Bangladesh has increased from 453 grams in FY92 to 605 grams in FY10 due to the admirable performance of the sector. Agriculture is also a supplier of raw materials for the manufacturing sector. The unprecedented growth of the agriculture sector has increased income of farmers and wages of agricultural labourers and has contributed to increase in their purchasing power. This, in turn, has contributed to the expansion of demand for non-agricultural products.
But this is not to be in the future in view of what the survey disclosed. The northern region gives a dismal picture of a sharp squeeze in cultivable lands. This has been due to an increase in construction of dwelling houses and brick-fields on the farmlands. Experts have warned, if the conversion of arable land continues at the current pace, production of Aman paddy and other crops in the northern districts will be badly affected in the near future. In Rangpur region, production of Aman will fall short of target as the total land brought under the cultivation is 60,000 hectares less than that of last year.  The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has attributed the shortfall to use of cultivable land for other purposes, including for construction of dwelling houses and brick kilns.
There are at least 487 brick fields in the northern region and at least 10 acres were required for building each one. The brick fields were set up on the farmlands mostly without taking permission from the Department of the Environment (DoE). Of the total brick kilns, 108 are in Rangpur district, 41 in Kurigram, 32 in Nilphamari, 52 in Gaibandha, 22 in Lalmonirhat, 157 in Dinajpur, 50 in Thakurgaon and 25 in Panchagarh districts.
One of the reasons for a steady growth of the economy of Bangladesh is its inherent strength which lies with its agriculture sector. This has helped the country to brave even the global crisis of 2007-08. With budgetary allocations and policy incentives, the sector can further be improved to generate high productivity and more income which can contribute to long-term sustainable development of the country.
It is now very urgent for the government to formulate a tough law to prevent misuse of fast shrinking farmlands.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, chief executive of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association has found delay in framing such a land use law as being indicative of shelving of an earlier plan in this regard.  
Not long ago, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had issued directives not to build industries on lands for agriculture. She issued the directive when she visited the industries ministry. "It is not good that industries are popping up here and there. They are ruining arable land and the environment."
"If someone wants permission to build factories here and there, we must stop them," she said adding: "You must assign areas for these factories. The industries ministry will have to survey every district and mark these areas."
Stopping misuse of farmlands is not really difficult but the land ministry should step in immediately to stem the rot. After an appropriate law is enacted with provision for exemplary punishment for its violation, the land ministry can assign the chairmen of all the upazilas to conduct surveys of farmlands in their respective areas. The upazila parishads in their turn can ask the union parishads (UPs) to figure out the fertile lands and their sizes. Any misuse could be recorded by the local UP members and reported to the UP chairmen for onward transmission to the upazila parishads which might be made accountable to the land ministry for punitive action in case of violation of such a land use law.
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