What farmers gained
Dear readers, we all know countries across the world are now facing challenges of inflation arising from the Ukraine-Russia war. It is hurting the global economy. Bangladesh has also been affected and facing difficulties to cope with the situation. Thus, the global commodity market is also facing instability due to disruption in supply chain. We are already under inflationary pressure and the price hike went almost unbearable for general people. On the other hand, foreign currency reserves went down. The impact of the three Cs: climate change, COVID-19 and conflict (Ukraine-Russia War) gave birth to another 'C' which is quite evidently, the cost. Yesterday, the national budget also addressed the impact on the economy and what necessary steps should be taken to ensure food security.
As a country Bangladesh has moved onward over the years. The country wrote a remarkable story of poverty reduction and development, especially during the past decade. It was one of the poorest nations during its birth in 1971. But the country successfully reached the lower-middle-income status in 2015 and now on track to graduate from the UN's Least Developed Countries (LDC) list by 2026. Although, developed countries have advanced in technology, education, economy, farming and many other sectors, we are still lagging, especially when any global catastrophes occur. Bangladesh is now an important part of the global village. We fear that it will not be easy to overcome so many shocks. There are many issues regarding coping with such problems and that is why the government has announced a measured budget for fiscal year 2022-2023. In his budget speech for the 2022-2023 fiscal year, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal emphasized on boosting food production to ensure food security amid the Russia-Ukraine war and global food price hike. He proposed an allocation of Tk 33,698 crore for food, fisheries and agriculture for the coming fiscal year, which is only 6.2 percent of the total budget. He mentioned about an increase in subsidy on fertilizer from Tk 12,000 crore (2021-2022) to Tk 16,000 crore.
One of my key observations is how long we would continue to depend on imports. Although we have been able to be self-sufficient in producing a variety of agricultural products since our independence, there are many products we have to import. Our population is increasing while the land is decreasing very fast. However, I must say, our farmers have done excellent during the COVID days and that is why we are still food secure. But to address the issue of not getting a fair price is yet to be resolved. Perhaps, some young entrepreneurs who are using digital platforms are gaining profits, but the majority of the farmers are still troubled by the intermediaries. Modern farming systems have spread across the world and we need to emphasize this for ultimate sustainability. We all know how much farmers are spending on poultry, fisheries and livestock feed. The price is going up and we must take immediate measures to stop it, otherwise, the marginal farmers would perish. Before the pandemic, I used to hear about similar complaints from farmers at the field-level pre-budget discussions among farmers and policymakers across the country. The field event is popularly known as, Krishi Budget Krishoker Budget (Farmers' Voices in Budget). We need to increase our capacity in fertilizer production. Most importantly, there should be more collaboration and coordination among the ministries so that we could face the problems with courage and resolve them.
Farmers are facing serious troubles due to the recent hike in feed price. Many small farmers are shutting down their poultry farms, while marginal fish farmers are in a dilemma whether they should continue their farming or not. Even the farm-labourer cost has increased. When it came to cattle farming, small entrepreneurs are hit hard and the larger ones are facing it with their own capacity. I must say, the anomaly in feed price hike is nothing new, it has been going on and on for years. In the meantime, the fishery and livestock sectors have grown much bigger. Bangladesh produces fish worth around 45 lakh tonnes every year. Poultry has about 1 percent contribution to the GDP. Each year, cattle farms are increasing at a rate of 25 percent. As a result, employment has increased in this sector. However, the feed price is rising and its quality is declining day by day. I didn't notice any significant measures from the government regarding the issue. The government has been providing subsidies in rice cultivation which is also required for animal feed so that our farmers can get the feed at a subsidized rate.
The finance minister also mentioned about incentives and rehabilitation aid for farmers, which he didn't elaborate further. He shared about the success in fish and livestock production. The minister said the government will continue an allocation of Tk 5,000 crore to help low-income group people, affected by natural disasters.
Dear readers, despite the high population, decreasing arable land and frequent natural disasters, Bangladesh has made significant progress in achieving self-sufficiency in producing cereal crops and reducing poverty. Almost half of the population are now employed in the farming sector. I hope the state policy will put their eyes on the sector's anomalies, especially when we are facing so many challenges. I suggest if we could safeguard the marginal farmers, bring in modern technologies, execute the Delta Plan, and strengthen inter-ministerial coordination, the country will go forward and the farming sector will flourish more.
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