BNP demands Tk 10,000cr additional budget allocation

Stating that farmers are being deprived of fair prices of their produce due to the government’s wrong policy and corruption, BNP yesterday demanded an additional allocation of Tk 10,000 crore in the national budget for paddy procurement from farmers.

Speaking at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said farmers are losing interest in producing crops being deprived of fair prices, and warned that its consequences will be dire.

“The misery that farmers face now reflects the wrong policy of the government. Bangladesh’s agriculture is now on the brink of ruination due to the government’s corruption and lack of farsightedness,” he said.

The BNP leader termed the farmers’ demand for procuring paddy directly from them very simple and justified. “We agree with the logical demands of farmers. The government must make an additional allocation of Tk 10,000 crore for procuring paddy from farmers.”

Fakhrul said though the government claims that the country has achieved self-sufficiency in producing rice, it imported a huge amount of rice only for ensuring benefits of ruling party people.

He said 69 lakh tonnes of rice were imported through government and private channels in the 2017-2018 fiscal.

Besides, the BNP leader said, 3.3 lakh tonnes of rice were imported over the last 10 months while 97,000 more tonnes are waiting to be imported.

Fakhrul alleged that though farmers set fire to their paddy fields as a mark of protest against falling prices, the government is not taking any step to ensure fair prices for them.

The BNP leader said the government procures rice from mill owners instead of buying it directly from farmers to protect the interests of ruling party people and middlemen.

He criticised Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader for his comment that torching paddy fields is an act of sabotage. “Some other ruling party leaders tried to blame BNP for it, as BNP has become their nightmare. They see the ghost of BNP in everything. That’s why they want to involve BNP in every matter.”

Fakhrul alleged that the government has indulged in huge corruption in the name of rice import. “The corruption has become so widespread in rice import that former minister Rashed Khan Menon was forced to talk about it.”

He put forward some proposals to overcome the current crisis, and protect the interests of farmers. The proposals include providing farmers with interest-free loan, renting private silos for procuring paddy by the government, distributing rice among people under social safety net programmes and buying rice directly from farmers.