Keeping the post-coronavirus pandemic situation in mind, the government has taken multiple-track initiatives to boost the agriculture sector to ensure that Bangladesh does not experience any food scarcity, sources said.
According to the sources, the measures have been taken as coronavirus or COVID-19 situation is apprehended to deteriorate economic condition of the country.
Under the initiatives, all the uncultivated land will be brought under cultivation and steps will be been taken so that crops could be cultivated for four times in the same land.
Besides, cultivation of fruits, vegetables and oil-type crops, and farming of cattle will be strengthened.
Officials at the Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of Agricultural Expansion said scientific, modern and developed methods and technologies would be applied in agriculture.
According to the World Food Programmes (WFP) and Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), many countries might experience economic and even food crisis after the corona period.
Keeping all those assessments in consideration, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina earlier ordered the ministers of agriculture, land, food, livestock, fisheries and other ministries concerned to take proper measures for boosting agriculture sector.
Putting emphasis on the cultivation of fruits and vegetables besides regular crops, the prime minister said not even a single inch of land would be kept uncultivated.
Regarding the initiatives, Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque said, “Food production must be increased to tackle post-COVID-19 pandemic situation. There is success in the food production and the pace of the success should not be slowed down. We have to keep it continued and even it should be sped up.”
The target for the production of Aush and Aman rice has been increased, the minister said adding that the government is trying it best so that no crisis is created during the post-pandemic period.
On the cultivation of additional food and crops, officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Directorate of Agricultural Expansion said the entire country has been divided into 14 agricultural zones and 14 top officials have been assigned in this connection.
Under the leadership of the 14 officials, other officials of the ministry and directorate concerned will categories all the lands as per their capacity and fertilities.
Besides, all the deputy commissioners, Upazila Nirbahi officers and agricultural officers have been asked to take steps so that farmers do not face any kind of difficulties of problems.
Those officials will also take measures so that farmers get supply of fertilisers, seeds and other agricultural inputs timely and at cheap rate.
Agriculture minister Dr Razzaque himself will monitor the overall situation.
The ministry and directorate have also decided to provide all kinds of supports to the farmers. With the supports, a total of 1085.15 lakh decimals of uncultivated land will be added to the 85.77 lakh hectors of cultivated land.
Besides, farmers will also be awarded and rewarded considering their performances in the cultivation and production capacity.
Earlier, the government took initiatives to provide various agro machineries, materials and machineries to the farmers at 50 percent of the actual cost.
As per the initiatives, the government is taking a Tk 3,000 crore project soon for the welfare of the farmers across the country.
According to sources, the government has decided to provide the agro machineries and materials to the farmers as they are costly and not so easy for the farmers to buy them.
The agro machineries, materials and equipment will help farmers to make their tasks easier and minimise their cost and time.
Tractors, power tillers, threshers, rippers and combined harvesters are among the materials and machineries which will be provided to the farmers across the country.
The project will be implemented in 61 districts keeping three hilly districts out of the project, said officials concerned.
They said that under the project, farmers in the Haor and saline water-prone areas would be given up to 70 percent of the costs of the machineries and materials as subsidy while the farmers of other areas would get up to 50 percent subsidy.
Machineries and materials will be provided as per the needs and choices of the farmers, they said.
Sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension said a combined harvester worth Tk 28 lakh would be provided to a farmer at Tk 14 lakh as the government.
Around 50,000 combined harvesters will be provided to 50,000 farmers and the farmers will be selected by the local agriculture offices.
It should be mentioned that a combined harvester is capable of harvesting, threshing, cleaning and packing huge quantity of paddies within a short period of time.
