The contribution of the agriculture and forestry sector to the growth of the country’s gross domestic product declined further to 12.64 per cent in the outgoing financial year of 2013-14. According to the Bangladesh Economic Survey, contribution of agriculture and forestry to GDP growth has been declining for the last four years. The share of agriculture in GDP was 14.65 per cent in 2009-10 while it was estimated 14.27 per cent in 2010-11, 13.70 per cent in 2011-12 and 13.09 per cent in 2012-13.
Although the economic survey prepared on the basis of data of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics showed that agriculture and forestry sector grew by 2.46 per cent in FY14, compared to 1.47 per cent in FY 13, the rise in contribution of other sectors pushed down the agriculture sector’s contribution in FY14.
When asked, an agronomist said the contribution of agriculture to the GDP was declining as Bangladesh was becoming import dependent rather than producing the crops in the country.
Agricultural products including sugarcane, various spices, ginger, garlic and onion were mostly being imported rather than the farmers were encouraged to grow these in the country, said Abdullahil Baque, associate professor of agronomy at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University.
Besides, he said Bangladesh has to import huge fertilizer and seed for agricultural sector, he said.
He further said that agriculture sector would certainly face threat if crops were not grown in the country and such declined contribution of agriculture to GDP continues.
When asked, a farmer leader, however, said that the agricultural contribution in GDP has been lower as the country’s farmers were gradually losing
their interest in agriculture due to gradual loss in farming.
Bangladesh Krishok Samity general secretary, Sajjad Zahir Chandan told New Age that farmers have started leasing out their own land to others and continuously they were diverting their lands for other activities.
Despite huge production of crops, the farmers were not getting fair price, he said.
The industrial sector in the GDP, however, made largest contribution with 19.45 per cent while wholesale and retailed trade, the second largest contribution with 14.08 per cent to GDP in 2013-14.
-With New Age input
