Agriculture faces challenges due to price hike of inputs

He said the increase of production cost on one hand and farmers' deprivation of reasonable price for their products on the other have worsened the situation.

The seminar titled 'Prosperous Agriculture through Inter-Cultural Dialogue' was jointly organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) at Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council to mark the World Food Day.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

Speaking as chief guest, the minister said the irrigation cost in the country is much higher than that of the neighbouring countries.

Terming the malpractice of the middlemen in marketing the agricultural products as longstanding problems, he said, "There are many lacks of professionalism in crop harvesting, collection, grading, cleaning, packaging and transportation."

Anwar said the budgetary allocation in the Annual Development Plan (ADP) in agriculture has also come down from 20 percent in the 70s to 2 to 2.5 percent now.

The government, however, is trying to develop the sector through subsidies, training to the farmers, developing agricultural technologies and encouraging commercial production of pulses, oil seeds and fruits in a bid to meet the nutrition demand domestically, he added.

"Full removal of non-tariff barriers for free entrance of our agricultural products to international market should be implemented," the minister said, adding that the intercultural dialogue among various countries could contribute to this process.

Speaking as special guest, State Minister for Agriculture Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said though the theme of the World Food Day 'intercultural dialogue' seems to be very innovative, it is also related with competition at the global level.

"Huge subsidy to the farmers in the developed countries and deprivation of it in the developing countries has put Bangladesh under tremendous pressure. The solution of this problem must be addressed soon through intercultural dialogue," he added.

Presenting the keynote paper, Dr Noazesh Ahmed, former advisor to FAO, said poor farmers of developing countries cannot compete in an international market where subsidised farm products from the industrialised countries are sold at even below production cost.

"Human and cultural ingenuity, right vision, partnership and support including that of FAO and the international community can surely lead to progress in achieving food security for all the citizens in the world where more than 850 million people remain hungry," said Bui Thi Lan, FAO Country Representative to Bangladesh.

Presided over by Agriculture Secretary Quazi Abul Kashem, the seminar was also addressed by Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdullah Al Noman, Prof Mansur Musa and Dr SM Hasanuzzaman.