D-8 Food Security Programs Will Facilitate Farmers through Join Investments

Dhaka, Bangladesh | February 09, 2009 by D-8 Secretariat

Bangladesh expects the vegetable production target to be surpassed as they provided supports to the farmers

A good number of Bangladeshi farmers of different parts of the district are very happy and dreaming of becoming economically solvent following bumper winter vegetable production in this season and present price trend of agro-outputs that helps them to make satisfactory profit.

Talking to media, the farmers said that favourable atmosphere, mass campaign on method and style of time-befitting agriculture by using modern technologies and less cost agri-inputs like fertilizer, pesticides and high-yielding seeds helped them to grow bumper vegetable production.

The farmers opined that they have been able to make good profit due to proper selling prices of vegetables despite of ever increasing costs for farming. They, however, welcomed the present Bangladeshi government’s prompt action to lessen the prices of fertilizer, fuels and make sure their availability.

M. Fayezur Rahman -a farmer of Chandanaish upazila had cultivated various types of winter vegetables like tomato, potato, brinjal, cabbage, cauliflower on four acres ( 10 Kani) of land in Lalutila area (bank of the river Sangu) of Dohazari union of the upazila.

“I have already profited net Taka 10 lakhs by selling vegetables outputs of four acres of land this season. This is a really good amount and I am planning to involve myself in agriculture in a bigger way as it is sometime more profitable than any other business”, he said adding that.

Foyez said that he had been engaged in farming seasonal vegetables for last five years and claimed that now he did not need to land money from banks or Mohajons for agriculture purposes as he already achieved economic self-sufficiency through farming.

Munir Hossain of Dewanhat area in Chandanaish upazila said he cultivated various categories of winter vegetable on two acres of land and gained Taka 4 lakhs as profit from each acres of land. Munir said bigger number of people in rural areas are encouraged in doing agriculture following high demands of agricultural products in the country and fetching good prices by selling those in the markets.

Munir said farmers would show more interest in involving themselves in agricultural activities and in this way the agriculture production could be increased to a great extent if overall production costs of doing farming can be kept at reasonable level.

Two farmers namely Joynal Abedin and Amanat Ullah echoed the same opinions but appreciated the present government’s quick and timely attempts to reduce the prices of fertilizer and fuels. Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) officials here said that they were hopeful of surpassing this season’s target of producing 1.80 lakhs metric tones (MTS) of winter vegetables following bumper harvest.

They said that 15,500 hectares of land under 14 upazilas in the district and some portion of the port city were brought under winter vegetable cultivation in this season. Based on filed report, the officials said over 1.72 lakhs mts of various categories of winter vegetables like potato, sweet potato, bean, tomato, carrot, turnip, brinjal, balsam apple, cabbage, cauliflower, pumpkin, green vegetable have already been harvested in the meantime throughout the district.

Agriculturist Abdul Mannan, Crop Production specialist of DAE expressed that the winter vegetable production target is expected to be surpassed as they provided necessary logistic supports to the farmers including supplying of High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds apart from growing interest of people in involving agriculture particularly in producing seasonal vegetables.

Meanwhile, through upcoming D-8 event on 25-27 February 2009 in Kuala Lumpur, namely 1st D-8 Ministerial  Meeting on Food Security, there will be some programs to be discussed, which are fertilizer,animal feed, and seed bank. Through outcomes of this meeting, Secretary General Dipo Alam expects that some joint investments in fertilizer, animal feed, and seed bank will be established. Therefore, with this joint invesments, the farmers in D-8 countries can take many advantages to increase their vegetable production to make satisfactory profit.

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