Speakers at a discussion yesterday observed that the contribution of the agriculture sector in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) has decreased by around 17% in the last 24 years as the government allocation for the sector had been shrinking day-by-day.
They made the observations at a programme, titled “Discussion on agriculture and food security issue in the proposed national budget 2014-15,” organised by Action Aid Bangladesh at Dhaka Reporters Unity.
In the fiscal year (FY) 2012-13, allocation on agriculture was 8.52% of the national budget but came down to 5.68% in the revised budget for FY2013-14. In the development budget, the share for the sector came down to 2.2%.
Speakers also noted that although 3.77 crore metric tonnes of food grains were produced in FY2013-14, Bangladesh, however, could not meet its local demands.
They further said the demand for lentil in Bangladesh is around 12-14 lakh metric tonnes, whereas the country only produces 4.50 lakh metric tonnes. In a bid to boost production, farmers are now rampantly using chemical fertilisers and pesticides, which eventually reduces the fertility of the land and creates an adverse effect on the environment.
The participants also warned that although the production has increased, but such rampant use of fertilisers and pesticides will cut down the country’s production capacity in the long run.
In the recent budget, the government allotted Tk19,100 crore (around 7.6% of the total budget) of which Tk9,000 crore has been set for subsidies.
Speaking at the event, MP Abdur Razzak, president of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance Ministry Affairs, said: “The purchasing power of people has lessened and thus they cannot buy food. The allocation for the sector should be increased to around 40 percent as there is no alternative in order to meet the food demand.”
Journalist Razu Ahmed, who presented the key note speech of the programme, said: “Although the government is providing subsidy facilities, however, actual farmers are not getting the benefits. Rather, fertiliser dealers, importers and buyers are reaping the benefits by inflating the prices.”
“Although agricultural research is an important issue, the government did not allocate any funds in this regard in the recent budget. Farmers are not getting the fair price due to a lack of storage facilities and they are being pressurised to repay loans after harvesting,” he added.
He also noted that the government should ensure proper allocation and research in order to increase production and ensure fair prices for farmers and proper storage facilities for all kinds of crops.
