Transforming agriculture into a dynamic sector

Research and extension services are critical for the creation of a modern, diversified and highly productive agricultural sector. The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) drafted a National Agricultural Extension Policy (NAEP) in 2012 for providing specific policy directions for agricultural productivity. In particular, it aims at providing efficient and decentralised integrated extension services which is demand responsive to all relevant entities such as farmers, small and medium entrepreneurs, and producers.
NAEP expressed its commitment to provide Specialist Extension Services (SES) for climatically vulnerable areas by emphasising a number of strategies, including area specific climate-resilient cropping patterns, area specific seed production, preservation and supply system, early warning and forecasting for crop production, collaboration with agricultural research organisations for field-level trials of climate-resilient cropping patterns and water management system.
Farm mechanisation was another important policy focus and in order to promote mechanisation, the government will help facilitating projects related to tillage, seeding, transplanting, fertilising, weeding, herbicide spraying, harvesting and threshing. For these productivity enhancing activities, 25 per cent subsidy is being offered to farmers for purchasing related machineries and equipments. If the policies and strategies proposed in the NAEP are implemented in an effective and planned manner, then there will be greater diversification of agriculture sector.
A lacuna is observed with the agriculture extension system which is absence of 'marketing extension' covering post-harvest handling activities. In the age of development of market-based production activities, marketing extension service should be an important ingredient of the agriculture extension system which at present is lacking.  
IRRIGATION POLICY: One of the success stories in Bangladesh agriculture is the wide expansion of irrigated land with nearly universal coverage of minor irrigation. Bangladesh has made the leap from rain-fed agriculture to irrigated agriculture over the past few decades.
There is no denying the fact that successful implementation of irrigation policies, among others, is one of the important factors for the recent increase in production of agricultural commodities. As for Bangladesh, as high as 90 per cent area is covered by minor irrigation, and in the National Agriculture Policy (NAP), minor irrigation has been given particular importance. The mission of minor irrigation management is planned utilisation of surface and ground water for accelerating crop intensification and increasing yields. As proposed in the NAP, this shift has to be prioritised in the policy agenda. As proposed by Pullabhotla & Kumar (2012), Ahmed et al. (2011) and the government of Bangladesh (2011), several strategic initiatives are required in this regard, which could include (i) investment in water-saving technologies; (ii) developing new distributional channels and maintaining the existing ones; and (iii) improving grassroots-level and system-level capacity for managing water resources.
In the looming water scarcity scenario, water uses efficiency must be attained by devising appropriate production technologies and water management practices, provision and use of surface water has to be emphasised considering environmental impacts.  
FERTILISER AND SUBSIDY POLICIES: Fertiliser subsidy is the largest public expenditure in agriculture, increasing steadily over time. Appropriate pricing and subsidy polices are essential to maintain balanced use of fertilisers in agriculture and preserve the quality and nutrients in the soil for the long-term.
In the context of Bangladesh, Ahmed et al. (2011), in particular, have mentioned certain shortcomings of such subsidisation policy: (i) the balance between urea and non-urea fertilizers is often distorted; (ii) benefits of the subsidy often go to traders rather than farmers. In addition, as pointed out by Pullabhotla & Kumar (2012), improper subsidisation can lead to an imbalanced use of fertiliser resulting in detrimental effect on soil quality and soil health. Emphasis should go on use of green manuring practices.
AGRICULTURAL PRICING POLICIES: It has been a longstanding policy to keep agricultural prices suppressed in order to make them affordable to consumers with limited income but a very high share of food expenditure in family budgets. For many years, such pricing, combined with input subsidies, was a major objective of agricultural policies and was compatible with expanding production and increasing national self-sufficiency, largely resulting from successful adoption of 'green revolution' technologies in crop agriculture.
The government of Bangladesh has pursued an interventionist policy of stabilising food prices, particularly that of rice. Rice price has been kept below the border price for much of the past three decades from which there should be a way-out to shift market-based price incentives to producing farmers for an economically viable and sustainable agriculture.
STRATEGIES AND POLICIES REQUIRED:
* In order to cope with increased salinity, research towards salt tolerant crop varieties should be developed and extended. In this regard, as proposed in the 6th FYP, cultivation of saline tolerant varieties particularly in the Robi season should be encouraged. Similarly, in order to cope with water logging, appropriate rotation of crops should be followed. Such strategies would help in the production in char areas, coastal areas, hilly lands, and salinity affected areas along Sylhet and Barisal regions.  
* Innovating new technology through R&D for raising crop productivity in the medium- to long-term is a high priority.
* Given the vulnerability of the country in the face of climate change, including those of draught-tolerant cultivation, zero-minimum tillage technology, vegetable gardening in char areas, floating bed vegetable cultivation (Alam et al. 2010).
* Besides allocating more resources towards higher education in agriculture, strategies need to be devised towards strengthening of staff, providing incentives, training, and strengthening institutional capacities to absorb research findings.
* Good quality seed is a pre-requisite for higher yield and better quality of crops. Therefore, the government should ensure supply of quality seed to the farmers through community based seed production and storage.
* With a view to meeting nutritional requirement, further emphasis should be given to encourage production of nutritious non-cereal food items e.g. pulses, fruits, and vegetables.
* Special emphasis should be given to promote sustainable agriculture practices such as use of bio-fertilisers, integrated pest management, conservation of water bodies, and increased use of surface water and improve water use efficiency.
* As mentioned in the 6th FYP, continued emphasis should be given to rotation-based cropping system. Special emphasis should be given to drought and flood-tolerant rice crops.
* Expanding the scope of research towards the production of improved breed of livestock and poultry, by combating animal/poultry/fish diseases, and to invent improved varieties of feed and fodder for the livestock/poultry/fishes.
* Raising productivity and promoting diversification of animal/ poultry/fish farms through improved management and sustainable methods of production.
* Priority should be given to research on combating and preventing animal/poultry/fish diseases. In this regard, emphasis should be given: (i) to provide training to the veterinary doctors and technicians at a greater extent; (ii) to strengthen administration for supplying vaccines and medicines in case of any outbreak; (iii) to improve coverage of vaccination of common diseases; (iv) to emphasize research on production of vaccines.
* In order to ensure adequate supply of feed and fodder for the livestock, one key strategy should be to concentrate on the production of maize and to integrate it into the cropping structure through inter-cropping.
* As suggested in the 6th FYP, steps should be taken to improve the existing practices of open water fisheries e.g. enhancing seasonal culture, restocking in the open water fisheries, restricting the catch for some time of the year, pen culture and beel nursery.
* In the context of marine fisheries, opportunities in the artisanal and deep sea levels should be carefully explored and analysed. It is also important to adopt modern techniques of fishing and to start using modern fishing equipment.
* In case of agriculture sector development, rural infrastructure is critical. Though significant progress has been achieved in provision of irrigation facilities and a vast swathe of rural areas have been brought under electricity connection, more emphasis should be given on the supply of electricity along with the construction and maintenance of rural roads for facilitating rural-urban market linkages. Market integration will help small producers get inputs in competitive prices sell outputs also in competitive prices.     
* It is important to ensure stable prices of major agriculture products. Since prices are by and large determined by market forces, price stability could be ensured through efficient marketing and allowing export of surplus food grains after retaining adequate stock to keep the price stable.
* Agro-processing is a rising segment of our industry that holds promise of future export growth and substantial job creation. To ensure its development, improvement in storage, processing and packaging should be given prime importance.
* In order to protect the rights of small farmers and tenants with regard to land distribution and land utilisation practices, land zoning programme has to be followed on a priority basis and people's participation at village level for the utilisation of land should be encouraged.
* Priority land reforms that are widely recognised include: (i) distribution of Khas land among landless and non-viable marginal farmers, (ii) preservation and computerisation of relevant records for land ownership and land transfer.
The importance of agricultural sector in improving the lives of millions of smallholder farmers and their families cannot be overstated. Agriculture, including farming, forestry, fisheries and livestock, is the main source of employment and income in rural areas, where the majority of poor and hungry people live. Agriculture plays an important role by creating sustainable rural employment. Despite the decline in the relative size of agriculture in the economy, the strategic importance of agriculture in meeting basic food demand and providing livelihood for a vast labour force is beyond question.
For attaining sustainable food self-sufficiency and a measure of food security, low productivity and slow speed of diversification remain the foremost challenges for the sector to overcome in near future. To transform Bangladesh's agriculture into a modern and dynamic sector, prevailing obstacles need to be addressed. Public policy interventions need to be strengthened and streamlined in order to keep relative incentives adequate for farmers to continue the push for higher productivity and diversified agriculture.
Both government and non-government organisations (NGOs) are implementing multifarious programmes for rural uplift.   This century can be the turning point for bringing about a 'Great Transformation' - from an agrarian economy to an industrial one with a special focus on sustaining food security and nutrition for all. Thus a new Bangladesh will emerge as an industrial economy and the country will join the class of Developed Country Nations within two to three decades.    
Dr. Shamsul Alam is Member, the General Economics Division, Bangladesh Planning Commission. In preparing this article, research support was provided by Syed Al Bin Hassan, Assistant Chief, GED, Planning Commission, now on study leave to the CDE, Williams College, Massachusetts, USA.

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