Leading agricultural scientists, economists, and civil society representatives of the country have expressed optimism regarding the actual budget allocation for the agricultural sector, farmers' rights, and the assurance of safe food in the proposed budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
However, they also expressed deep concern over the inadequacy of incentives in the agricultural sector.
They voiced these concerns during a national dialogue titled "Budget 2026-27: What Did Agriculture Get?" held at the Agriculture Information Service (AIS) conference room in Khamarbari, Dhaka on Tuesday morning. Khete-Paate, a news portal dedicated to safe agriculture and safe food, organized the dialogue.
Speakers at the event emphasized that the voices of grassroots farmers must be heard before preparing the budget. It is crucial for the budget to specifically reflect what ordinary, field-level farmers want—rather than relying solely on farmer leaders or specific political groups.
They noted that while this year's budget is being called "farmer-friendly," what farmers actually want remains ambiguous.
Moderated by Professor Rezaul Karim Siddique, the main focus of the dialogue was evaluating how much of the government's declared political commitment to "achieve agricultural prosperity and ensure food security" will be realized through this ambitious budget, and what changes are needed to meet public expectations.
Professor Abdus Sattar Mandal, a former vice-chancellor of Bangladesh Agricultural University and renowned agricultural cconomist, said: "We need to critically evaluate what the actual allocation for agriculture and farmers is within this massive budget of nearly Tk938,000 crore. At this transitional juncture from traditional to commercial agriculture, incentives and marketing facilities for marginal farmers must be further enhanced."
Anwar Faruk, former agriculture secretary, pointed out policy weaknesses and budget implementation challenges. He said, "Merely increasing allocations is not enough to fulfil the government's political commitments. Instead, specific sector reforms are needed to prevent post-harvest losses, establish modern cold chains, and innovate climate-resilient crop varieties."
Professor Nazrul Islam strongly demanded an increase in the budget for the research sector to protect soil health, expand organic farming, and produce safe food.
Former director general of the Department of Fisheries, Syed Arif Azad, highlighted the importance of the fisheries and livestock sector. He stated, "To ensure nutritional security alongside food security, modernizing the fisheries and livestock sector and providing tax exemptions to entrepreneurs in this sector is absolutely vital."
