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Staff Correspondent, The Daily Star, 29 May 2008
Bangladesh Krishak Samity (BKS), a platform of farmers, yesterday demanded setting up government purchasing centres at every weekly market in rural areas to ensure fair price of rice and paddy for farmers.
At a press conference at Mukti Bhaban of Paltan in the city, BKS leaders also urged the government to set up bazaars at suitable places like one in Bogra inaugurated by the army chief recently.
They also demanded more allocations for agriculture sector in the next budget and urged the government to make sure that real farmers are benefited from the budget allocation.
In a written statement, the BKS leaders said the government should provide the farmers with agricultural inputs in time and without any hassles.
They also demanded distribution of agricultural inputs through Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC).
The leaders suggested giving more allocation for agricultural research saying that the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute was doing excellent job by inventing new high yielding varieties of paddy, and hoped that it would be able to invent more varieties if they are given more fund.
The BKS will submit memorandums to deputy commissioners and upazila nirbahi officers across the country to press home their demands on June 7.
BKS Executive President SM Saboor, General Secretary Morshed Ali, Organising Secretary Sajjad Zahir Chandan, Vice- presidents Nurur Rahman Selim and Hari Sadhan Dey were present at the press conference.
Editorial
The Daily Star, 02 September 2007, Sunday
The news relating to post-flood rehabilitation that we have from ten northern districts of the country does not seem promising. That is because of the meagre allocation that has been made for compensatory agricultural recovery in these districts. An unbelievably low figure of Tk. 672 per hectare has reportedly been earmarked as the cost toward a cultivation of Aman crops.
In very real terms, the costs involved per hectare amount to no less than Tk. 5,600 on average. Even that figure is disputed by farmers (and they should know, intricately involved with agriculture as they are), who believe that because of rising costs of agricultural inputs post-flood rehabilitation measures on a hectare of Aman crops will be anywhere between Tk.13,000 and Tk.15,000. In the circumstances, the authorities should be reconsidering the overall policy of allocation for post-flood rehabilitation throughout the country. As we note, the floods have not yet gone away and indeed there are signs of their returning in certain areas. Chandpur and Nilphamari are in the grip of fresh new floods. In the ten northern districts we speak of, no fewer than 300,000 farmers have been left fully impoverished by the waters. That figure rises when one brings into the calculation the number of those affected elsewhere.
A sense of immediacy as well as realism must come into this entire issue of post-flood rehabilitation. One must remember that in large areas of Bangladesh, the floods have left much of the seedbed ruined. In such a condition, the matter of an availability of seeds, seedlings and fertilisers for farmers has become an imperative. The good news is that a number of public sector banks have spoken of the plans they have on the anvil regarding a provision of loans to affected farmers in order to enable them to begin afresh. Such agricultural loans on soft terms need to be ensured at the earliest. Additionally, a well-ordered distribution of seeds, seedlings, fertilisers and all other inputs necessary to enable farmers to recoup their losses is essential. In this connection, coordination among the ministries of agriculture, finance and disaster management is of the essence.
Our Correspondent, Sirajganj, The Daily Star, 05 September 2007, Wednesday
With recession of flood water, there are signs of devastation all around but farmers are in fields with new hopes to grow Amon paddy and early winter vegetables. Sirajganj was the worst affected district with most areas of its nine upazilas reeling under waters from Mighty Jamauna this year.
According to district agriculture officials’ estimate, at least Tk 72 crore crops including paddy, jute, sugarcane and vegetables on 47,407 hectares were damaged by flood.
Sources in Agriculture Extension Department (AED) said there are 56,124 hectares of cultivable land in 81 unions in nine upazilas of the district. The flood damaged crops on 22,762 hectares fully and 24,645 hectares partially, affecting about 230000 families.
With recession of flood water, AED with assistance of district administration and Army has taken a post flood rehabilitation programme. Under the programme, the government has sanctioned Tk 4 crore and Tk 2 crore of it has been made available to assist farmers in cultivation of rice and vegetables, AED sources said.
This correspondent visited different areas of the district, where farmers said they face crisis Amon seedlings and fertilizer, which hamper cultivation. They are collecting seedlings from far away places at high prices as the seedbeds had gone under flood water.
Adul Kader of Tarash said that he sowed Amon seeds on one and half bigha of land. All reeled under water. He has purchased seedlings at Tk 300 per 80 bundles which were sold at between Tk 70 and Tk 80 last year.
AED officials said they have set a target to bring 50220 hectares under Amon cultivation.
Many farmers said they are transplanting Amon seedlings for the second time in about a month as the first transplantation was damaged by flood.
Some farmers said they have borrowed from local moneylenders to cultivate crops after flood.
All of them said they now need smooth supply of fertiliser.
A hiogh official of the district administration seeking anonymity said the government allotment of Tk 2 crore is too inadequate to the needs.
AED Deputy Director Khandaker Hasibur Rahman said they are preparing lists of affected farmers who will get the assistance.
He said about 89,033 tonnes of urea fertiliser are needed for the district this season but they have a stock of about 3755.50 tonnes.
Army sources said they have also started seedlings distribution among affected farmers. As a part of the programme, Bogra Brigade Commander Brig. Gen. Emadul Huq (PSC) distributed seedlings among farmers at Ghurka Beltola on 25 August. Brig. Gen. A K M Mahfuzul Huq (PSC) also distributed seedlings at Raiganj on 29 August.
Our Correspondent . Rangpur, The Daily New Age, 30 November 2007
Farmers of Nobdiganj and Kolyani unions under Pirgachha upazila blocked the Rangpur-Kurigram highway for about two hours Thursday demanding fertilisers.
Locals and police said several hundred vehicles remained stranded on both ways, causing enormous trouble to the passengers.
A huge number of farmers of the two unions gathered in front of the shop of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation dealer Kashem Patwari for collecting coupons for TSP and MoP fertilisers from sub assistant agriculture officer sitting there.
The agriculture official stopped issuing slips at about 10:00 am as the dealer’s shop ran out of the stock of TSP and MoP.
This angered the large crowd of farmers waiting in queues for hours. An angry mob then blocked Rangpur-Kurigram highway from 10:00 am until police and members of the joint forces cleared the road at about 12:00 noon.
EDITORIAL
The Daily Star, 17 May 2008
BUT for the boro bumper, good wheat crop and abundance of potatoes we would have been in dire straits in a food-short world today. Our farmers can be credited with rising from the catastrophic floods and Sidr with a firm determination to make up for the losses. They have proved that with their will and government’s assistance, the farmers can work wonders.
The government should exactly know to what extent their fuel subsidy, distribution of seeds and fertiliser and special irrigation connections paid dividends. The overarching fact is, however, that the farmers diligently and prudently used every inch of land they could plough — furrows, beels, haors and even some arid lands that were previously written off. That is where our potential lies for optimising land use in a situation where urbanisation, industrialisation, expansion of habitat and land erosion threaten to reduce land:man ratio even more adversely.
The global context marked by a shift from cereal to biofuel production has lessened food output in cereal exporting countries. Even their contribution to WFP is declining, not to speak of the export ban they have clamped. All this impels us to concentrate on and step up domestic agricultural productivity and maintain our own buffer stock of food to see us through rainy days. Even we can export rice for the good of others.
Thus, our national focus ought to be now on agriculture and alleviation of farmers’ economic and working conditions. The pledge made by the chief adviser in Dinajpur who called farmers ‘the national heroes’ to prioritise agriculture in the national budget ought to be translated into reality in some identifiable areas of concern. First and foremost, soil fertility issue has to be addressed squarely. Over time, our land fertility has declined due to indiscriminate or erroneous use of fertilisers, pesticides and insecticides, or lack of nurture. Besides, importantly, the water table has gone down. Shrimp culture and surging tide in the sea have led to salinity intrusion into cultivable lands. The BRRI is credited with having evolved new water resistant varieties of seed. Its potential has to be fully realised in collaboration with successful rice institutes in the region. All these point to the pressing need for vigorous agricultural research with adequate budgetary provisions made for the same. No measly amounts would do any more, nor a visionless approach to the future.
One fundamental weakness in agriculture management has been the sidestepping of the agricultural marketing imperatives. The farmers must get remunerative price for their produces. This requires two things: one, keeping the cost of production low and allowing them to sell their produce without having to go through middlemen. The idea of having wholesale markets dispersed in closer proximity to farming households is a good one.
Last but not least, storage facilities will have to string out all over the country if we have to curb the huge amounts of crop wastes we incur every year.
