Netrakona, Feb 16-2010 (UNB)-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Tuesday urged farmers to go workaholic to make Bangladesh self-sufficient in food as her government launched a new helpline to assist the peasantry in cash and kind.
“Make best use of all facilities sponsored by our government. Increase food production to build a food-sufficient Bangladesh so that we do not have to rely on others for food. If we want to save the country, our farmers and agriculture will have to be saved,” she said.
The Prime Minister was addressing the inaugural function of the newly-introduced Agri-input Assistance Card and Cash Assistance program for the country’s farmers on Balikandi Madrasa premises in Teligati union in Atpara upazila.
The function virtually turned into a grand rally as thousands of people--farmers, women and children and Awami League workers--thronged the venue and the adjacent paddy fields.
To begin with, the Prime Minister distributed cards among 20 farmers. A total of 1.82 crore farmers of the country will get the incentives under the recipe.
With the Agriculture Input Assistance card, the farmers will receive money from banks as cash subsidy to buy diesel. For drawing the subsidy and monetary transactions, the farmers can open bank account for only Tk 10.
Moreover, the condition for keeping minimal money with a bank account also has not been tagged to operating the farmers’ accounts. Also, the farmers need not have any identifier to open the account. The agriculture-assistance card will be considered final identity for the farmers.
Under the scheme, first-ever such agriculture-welfare agenda in the history of Bangladesh, some 10 million Boro farmers will be given money through banks as direct subsidy on diesel used for irrigating croplands for the dry-season rice farming.
Marginal farmers will get Tk 800 and big farmers Tk 1000 as cash incentives.
The Prime Minister also pledged proper distribution of khas land and providing homeless people with houses for free under the people’s welfare agenda.
Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury, Manjur Kader Koraishi MP, Agriculture Secretary CQK Mustaq Ahmed, Department of Agriculture Extension Director-General M Sayeed Ali also addressed the function. A farmers’ representative and a FAO representative also spoke on the occasion.
The Prime Minister in her address hoped that such banking facilities would be used for further facilitating the farmers in future.
“Money transactions at the grassroots level, moneysaving by farmers will bring a revolutionary change in the rural economy,” she said about the expected impact of the assistance scheme for the farmers.
Hasina gave directives to officials and field-level workers under the ministry concerned to take necessary steps so the farmers don’t have to face harassment in getting the assistance card.
“Any sort of corruption and irregularity in this sector, like in other spheres, will not be tolerated,” the Prime Minister said in a strong note of warning.
She said if any government official is found guilty of neglecting farmers, they will have to face stern punitive action.
She ordered the authorities concerned to ensure timely supply of quality seeds and fertilizers to the farmers for smooth farming.
“It is the responsibility of the government to take best care of the farmers who provide us with food,” Hasina said in an emphatic reminder.
She also assured the farmers of maintaining smooth electricity supply for irrigation during the paddy season.
“Though setting up new power plants takes time, we have been successful in establishing efficient management in the power sector and already we have opened another new power plant in Siddhirganj,” she told her audience.
About irrigation, the Prime Minister stressed the need for increasing use of surface water for agricultural activities to reduce pressure on groundwater resources.
In this regard, she said the government will dredge the river Brahmaputra and other major rivers of the country to increase their capacity for water preservation by removing silts.
Hasina deplored that her previous government had increased total power generation to 4300 megawatts from 1600 MWs, but the subsequent BNP-Jamaat government could not add even a single megawatt of electricity to the grid.
“If the BNP-Jamaat government could increase power generation in line with the national demand, the nation would not face the present crisis. However, hold patience; we are putting our best effort in removing the power crisis,” she said.
Hasina pointed out that her government, just after assuming office, reduced the food and fertilizers prices. “Now the farmers do not run after fertilizer rather fertilizers run after the farmers,” she said.
