The supply of agro-inputs
Friday, 10 August 2007
THE supply of basic agro-inputs such as fertilisers is noted to be a rather unreliable and corruption-riddled process nowadays. Not only fertilisers, farmers have been found facing difficulties in getting smooth supply of other inputs like seeds, irrigation water, diesel to run irrigation pumps, insecticides, etc. On the one hand, the inputs are not available at the time of need in quantities demanded by them and, on the other, they are forced to pay unreasonably higher amounts for their purchases.
One main casualty of this has been agricultural productivity and the well-being of the farmers. The farmers are squeezed hard and have to remain very tensely on their toes to lay hands on the inputs while also suffering from the need to buy these at irrational prices that tell on their costs of production. It should be realised that many farmers of the country are but subsistence ones who consume all or nearly all the cereal they produce in their tiny plots. For them to absorb the higher prices of inputs and the hazards in obtaining them in the demanded quantities pose as very great burdens. Out of sheer need for survival, they have been borrowing and spending other assets to raise the extra resources to be expended on the inputs. But it cannot go on like this.
It goes to the great credit of the farming communities of the country that they have been struggling exceptionally hard to maintain high productivity levels notwithstanding the adverse conditions in respect for inputs. But it is bound to tell negatively on productivity at some point in the future. If cereal production goes down, the same will not only cause very great hardships to the teeming millions of small farmers in the country. The same would also create a macro economic shock by creating the ground for large scale import of foodgrains that has not been necessary for a long time.
It is so very important, therefore, for the government to streamline the supply of inputs to farmers at the fastest.
Abul Kalam Azad
Tejgaon
Dhaka
One main casualty of this has been agricultural productivity and the well-being of the farmers. The farmers are squeezed hard and have to remain very tensely on their toes to lay hands on the inputs while also suffering from the need to buy these at irrational prices that tell on their costs of production. It should be realised that many farmers of the country are but subsistence ones who consume all or nearly all the cereal they produce in their tiny plots. For them to absorb the higher prices of inputs and the hazards in obtaining them in the demanded quantities pose as very great burdens. Out of sheer need for survival, they have been borrowing and spending other assets to raise the extra resources to be expended on the inputs. But it cannot go on like this.
It goes to the great credit of the farming communities of the country that they have been struggling exceptionally hard to maintain high productivity levels notwithstanding the adverse conditions in respect for inputs. But it is bound to tell negatively on productivity at some point in the future. If cereal production goes down, the same will not only cause very great hardships to the teeming millions of small farmers in the country. The same would also create a macro economic shock by creating the ground for large scale import of foodgrains that has not been necessary for a long time.
It is so very important, therefore, for the government to streamline the supply of inputs to farmers at the fastest.
Abul Kalam Azad
Tejgaon
Dhaka