Sense of immediacy and realism is called for
The news relating to post-flood rehabilitation that we have from ten northern districts of the country does not seem promising. That is because of the meagre allocation that has been made for compensatory agricultural recovery in these districts. An unbelievably low figure of Tk. 672 per hectare has reportedly been earmarked as the cost toward a cultivation of Aman crops.
In very real terms, the costs involved per hectare amount to no less than Tk. 5,600 on average. Even that figure is disputed by farmers (and they should know, intricately involved with agriculture as they are), who believe that because of rising costs of agricultural inputs post-flood rehabilitation measures on a hectare of Aman crops will be anywhere between Tk.13,000 and Tk.15,000. In the circumstances, the authorities should be reconsidering the overall policy of allocation for post-flood rehabilitation throughout the country. As we note, the floods have not yet gone away and indeed there are signs of their returning in certain areas. Chandpur and Nilphamari are in the grip of fresh new floods. In the ten northern districts we speak of, no fewer than 300,000 farmers have been left fully impoverished by the waters. That figure rises when one brings into the calculation the number of those affected elsewhere.
A sense of immediacy as well as realism must come into this entire issue of post-flood rehabilitation. One must remember that in large areas of Bangladesh, the floods have left much of the seedbed ruined. In such a condition, the matter of an availability of seeds, seedlings and fertilisers for farmers has become an imperative. The good news is that a number of public sector banks have spoken of the plans they have on the anvil regarding a provision of loans to affected farmers in order to enable them to begin afresh. Such agricultural loans on soft terms need to be ensured at the earliest. Additionally, a well-ordered distribution of seeds, seedlings, fertilisers and all other inputs necessary to enable farmers to recoup their losses is essential. In this connection, coordination among the ministries of agriculture, finance and disaster management is of the essence.
In very real terms, the costs involved per hectare amount to no less than Tk. 5,600 on average. Even that figure is disputed by farmers (and they should know, intricately involved with agriculture as they are), who believe that because of rising costs of agricultural inputs post-flood rehabilitation measures on a hectare of Aman crops will be anywhere between Tk.13,000 and Tk.15,000. In the circumstances, the authorities should be reconsidering the overall policy of allocation for post-flood rehabilitation throughout the country. As we note, the floods have not yet gone away and indeed there are signs of their returning in certain areas. Chandpur and Nilphamari are in the grip of fresh new floods. In the ten northern districts we speak of, no fewer than 300,000 farmers have been left fully impoverished by the waters. That figure rises when one brings into the calculation the number of those affected elsewhere.
A sense of immediacy as well as realism must come into this entire issue of post-flood rehabilitation. One must remember that in large areas of Bangladesh, the floods have left much of the seedbed ruined. In such a condition, the matter of an availability of seeds, seedlings and fertilisers for farmers has become an imperative. The good news is that a number of public sector banks have spoken of the plans they have on the anvil regarding a provision of loans to affected farmers in order to enable them to begin afresh. Such agricultural loans on soft terms need to be ensured at the earliest. Additionally, a well-ordered distribution of seeds, seedlings, fertilisers and all other inputs necessary to enable farmers to recoup their losses is essential. In this connection, coordination among the ministries of agriculture, finance and disaster management is of the essence.
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