Energy Bangla - Bangladesh: Farmers Yet to Get Cash Subsidy for Diesel

The government has yet to start distribution of cash subsidy to the tune of Taka 750 crore among the farmers for procurement of diesel to be used for irrigation at the peak Boro season across Bangladesh.

According to a source in the Agriculture Extension Department (AED), the government has formed five-member committees comprising a Union Parishad member, one representative each of society, non-government organizations, AED and the law enforcement agency to prepare a list of small and marginal farmers for distribution of cash as diesel subsidy among the farmers for Boro farming season in each village across the country.

The committees have started work to prepare the list of small and marginal farmers on March 16 last and they would complete their report by mid-April. Then the government will start distributing the cash subsidy among the farmers, sources added.

The farmers started irrigation in Boro fields early this month, which would continue up to mid-April. Besides, the farmers will start harvesting the Boro paddy from end of April, which will continue till June 15.

A senior official at the AED told that the months of March and April are the peak time for irrigation in Boro fields.

He added that the farmers would not be able to enjoy the fruits of the cash subsidy for irrigation if they don't get the cash by the next month.

Several farmers informed AED officials that they had already sold their paddy before harvesting it to the middlemen to buy diesel for irrigation in their Boro fields, sources said.

Md Sundar Ali, a farmer at Chitri village under Nabinagar thana in Brahmanbaria district, said, "We have nothing to do if we receive the diesel-subsidy after the irrigation period."

Motaleb Hossain, another farmer at the same village, said that they came to know of the news from the media. "The committee has yet to meet us in this regard," he further said.

Abu Raihan, a farmer of Shilak village of Naogaon Sadar, told that the committee has yet to contact him on cash diesel-subsidy for irrigation in Boro filed.

An eminent economist feared that the marginal and small farmers would not get proper price from the Boro harvesting this season, as the government has yet to start distributing the cash subsidy for diesel among the farmers for irrigation before the peak Boro season.

The government has decided to provide Tk 750 crore in subsidy for diesel procurement by the farmers for irrigation in January.

The Ministry of Agriculture has set a target of producing 1.75 crore metric tons of rice in the current Boro season. The target is 16.94 per cent higher than the previous year.

Sources said the Ministry of Agriculture has set a target of cultivating Boro paddy on 45 lakh hectares of land comprising 12.50 lakh hectares for hybrid variety, 31.25 lakh hectares for HYV (high yielding variety) and 1.25 lakh hectares for local variety in 2007-08 fiscal year. The targeted land is 1.33 lakh hectares higher than the previous year.

According to sources in AED, the government target for cultivating Boro paddy on 45 lakh hectares of land has already been exceeded. The farmers of Dinajpur, Sunamganj, Bogra, Naogaon and Mymensingh were able to exceed the government-set target in this regard.

Economist Prof Anu Muhammad said the government has announced providing cash subsidy to the farmers for purchasing diesel to gain 'cheap popularity'.

"They have not taken any preparation earlier on how to distribute the cash subsidy for Boro production," he said adding: "The government has not taken the matter seriously yet whereas the country has already faced the food grain crisis."

Prof Muhammad added that the small and marginal farmers would not get fair price for their produce if they (farmers) could not get the subsidy for irrigation purposes before the peak Boro season.

Dr Shahidul Islam, director of AED, said, "We will distribute the subsidy for procurement of diesel among the marginal and small farmers who own land below 2.50 acres.

"We have started identifying the marginal and small farmers across the country from March 16 and after completion of the final report, the subsidy will be distributed among them," he said adding: "We will complete distributing the cash subsidy within the first week of May".