FY 2013-14
Farmers hit hard as political unrest raised production cost
The country’s farmers incurred losses in growing their crops due to increased cost of production and lower prices of their produces in the local markets during the outgoing financial year 2013-14, according to growers and agriculturists.
The farmers had to suffer from damage of winter vegetables due to transport crisis, and supply shortage of agricultural inputs like fertiliser, diesel and seeds during nationwide road blockade in November-January centring holding of national elections, the peak time of boro plantation, they said.
Abdul Baten, a farmer leader at village Keshorita under Gazipur district headquarters, said that the growers were selling each 40 kilograms of boro rice at Tk 500 to Tk 550, which was equal to one-day labour cost.
Besides, all crops including rice and vegetables need to use huge amount of fertilisers, pesticides and irrigation that caused increased production cost of the crops, he said.
Another farmer, Mofizur Hosain at village Saitalia under Sripur upazila of Gazipur, urged the government to provide farmers with required fertilisers, irrigation and seeds at free of cost if it wanted to ensure rice cultivation sustainable for farmers.
Rafiqul Islam Mondal, director general of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute, said the farmers incurred losses in selling potatoes during the current season due to increased production cost as well as severe disruption in supply chain for political reasons.
Farmers grow vegetables more because of its instant benefits, he said. ‘But they could earn little this year in compare with other season,’ he said.
According to the agriculture ministry, the production cost of paddy increased to Tk 17.50 per kg from Tk 16.96 in the rabi season of last year.
The official estimates also show that the production of rice per kg increased to Tk 26.50 from Tk 26 last year while the production cost of wheat increased to Tk 24 per kg from last year’s Tk 21.
Delayed supply of fertilisers, diesel and other inputs to the growers increased the production cost of rice and wheat in the season, ministry officials said.
When asked, MA Khaleque Mian, a professor at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, suggested that the government should introduce crop insurance to save the country’s farmers from losses of their crops.
Anwara Begum, senior research fellow at Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, said the farmers should be united by themselves for controlling their own regional markets to have better prices of their crops.
She also suggested that the government should empower the small-scale farmers ensuring fair prices of crops and also making small and medium enterprises operative.
Anwara also suggested setting up seed banks at union level, strengthening cold storage capacity for preservation of agricultural produces and reducing the middle-men involvement between growers and consumers for betterment of agriculture.
-With New Age input
