Supply of adequate inputs 'vital to achieve Boro target'
Sunday, 10 February 2008
FE Report
Speakers at a dialogue Saturday said if the government could supply adequate inputs to the farmers timely its "ambitious" Boro rice production target will possibly be achieved.
They also urged the government to provide subsidy to the farmers during the Boro cultivation period and change its decision on offering incentives only after the harvest of the crop.
The caretaker government has set an "ambitious" rice output target of 17.5 million tonnes this Boro season bringing 4.5 million hectares of land under cultivation.
It also have a decision of providing Tk 7.5 billion fund as subsidy to the farmers on diesel for irrigation purpose aiming to boost the rice production and overcome the shortfall of local food production, caused by recurrent floods and devastating cyclone Sidr.
The centre for policy dialogue (CPD) organised the dialogue on "Input Delivery Strategy for Higher Boro Production" in the city Friday. Head of Research in the CPD Uttam Dev presented a keynote paper.
Presided over by the Chairman of the CPD, Professor Rehman Sobhan, Agriculture Adviser CS Karim, Food and Disaster Adviser M M Shawkat Ali, Director General of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies Dr Quazi Shahabuddin, former agriculture minister Begum Matia Choudhury and some agriculture experts, economists, researchers, scientists and officials of the government and non-governmental organisations spoke on the occasion.
Critical about the system of free fertiliser distribution, CS Karim said: "When the market of fertiliser will be opened, there will be no control on prices and demand will be high. Then the government will fail to give increased subsidy on it as it has limited resources."
Supporting present fertiliser supply system, Begum Matia Choudhury said: "Due to failure of the government to know the real picture form the field level and for unskilled monitoring system, the farmers are not getting adequate fertiliser. If the government ensures tight monitoring system, the present supply mechanism will work and the farmers will get adequate fertiliser."
On the sideline of the dialogue, CS Karim said: "We will give subsidy on diesel after the harvesting of paddy to ensure that only the real farmers get the incentives."
Criticising the plan, Matia Choudhury said, "If you want to help the farmers, you must have provided the subsidy during the Boro cultivation period as they (farmers) face fund crisis for purchasing different inputs for their crops at that time."
Food adviser Shawkat Ali said the fertiliser distribution system will have to be brought under tight monitoring system so that the real farmers get the benefit.
Along with supply of adequate electricity and diesel for irrigation, he said, agricultural credit has to be disbursed more to the real farmers.
Uttam Dev said as there is a delay in Boro cultivation, the government must have to supply more hybrid and HYV seeds, adequate fertilisers and other agri-inputs soon to the farmers to achieve the production target this fiscal and minimise the shortfall in Aus and Aman production.
Speakers at a dialogue Saturday said if the government could supply adequate inputs to the farmers timely its "ambitious" Boro rice production target will possibly be achieved.
They also urged the government to provide subsidy to the farmers during the Boro cultivation period and change its decision on offering incentives only after the harvest of the crop.
The caretaker government has set an "ambitious" rice output target of 17.5 million tonnes this Boro season bringing 4.5 million hectares of land under cultivation.
It also have a decision of providing Tk 7.5 billion fund as subsidy to the farmers on diesel for irrigation purpose aiming to boost the rice production and overcome the shortfall of local food production, caused by recurrent floods and devastating cyclone Sidr.
The centre for policy dialogue (CPD) organised the dialogue on "Input Delivery Strategy for Higher Boro Production" in the city Friday. Head of Research in the CPD Uttam Dev presented a keynote paper.
Presided over by the Chairman of the CPD, Professor Rehman Sobhan, Agriculture Adviser CS Karim, Food and Disaster Adviser M M Shawkat Ali, Director General of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies Dr Quazi Shahabuddin, former agriculture minister Begum Matia Choudhury and some agriculture experts, economists, researchers, scientists and officials of the government and non-governmental organisations spoke on the occasion.
Critical about the system of free fertiliser distribution, CS Karim said: "When the market of fertiliser will be opened, there will be no control on prices and demand will be high. Then the government will fail to give increased subsidy on it as it has limited resources."
Supporting present fertiliser supply system, Begum Matia Choudhury said: "Due to failure of the government to know the real picture form the field level and for unskilled monitoring system, the farmers are not getting adequate fertiliser. If the government ensures tight monitoring system, the present supply mechanism will work and the farmers will get adequate fertiliser."
On the sideline of the dialogue, CS Karim said: "We will give subsidy on diesel after the harvesting of paddy to ensure that only the real farmers get the incentives."
Criticising the plan, Matia Choudhury said, "If you want to help the farmers, you must have provided the subsidy during the Boro cultivation period as they (farmers) face fund crisis for purchasing different inputs for their crops at that time."
Food adviser Shawkat Ali said the fertiliser distribution system will have to be brought under tight monitoring system so that the real farmers get the benefit.
Along with supply of adequate electricity and diesel for irrigation, he said, agricultural credit has to be disbursed more to the real farmers.
Uttam Dev said as there is a delay in Boro cultivation, the government must have to supply more hybrid and HYV seeds, adequate fertilisers and other agri-inputs soon to the farmers to achieve the production target this fiscal and minimise the shortfall in Aus and Aman production.