Editorial
Beefing up food security
Concentrate on the next boro crop
IN a fairly representative dialogue held on Wednesday, the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) engaged with the agriculture minister and the deputy minister, the senior joint secretary of BNP and a sprinkling of parliamentarians, agriculturists, economists, members of farmer organisations and bureaucrats to put across some recommendations on food security in a particular context.
A drop on global food output and consequently an increase in foodgrain prices are on the radar bringing in a fresh concern for us. Even though Bangladesh has significantly raised cereal productivity she still has to import a critical amount of rice due to one or the other kind of natural vagary. With the global outlook on food turning bleak following Philippines announcing that it would import food from the global market and India already placing restrictions on exports, Bangladesh has reasons to be apprehensive about import of cereals at high costs. But if we manage to get a sizeable boro crop we would be able to meet such an eventuality.
There is, however, a lesson to be drawn from last year's record boro production at 1.78 crore tonnes: small and marginalised farmers who had contributed hugely to the bumper crop failed to reap dividends on their labour and investment owing to a decline in prices on the domestic market.
In light of such an experience, the farmers might be diffident in taking to boro cultivation on a scale they had in the part year. Since the government aims at a higher output level of 1.9 crore tonnes this year, the issue of farmer interest would assume an added importance. In such a context, CPD recommended that the government announce a procurement price well ahead of the harvesting season to influence the farmer's decision on boro plantation. This is the time when the farmers are preparing for the irri season and if they should opt for more of cash crop at the expense of boro acreage its production will be affected.
The need for an advance indicative procurement price is there, but exactly at what viable level it should be fixed or whether it would be adjustable down the road will have to be determined through a further expert discourse with the stakeholders.
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