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Shykh Seraj talks about the importance of agricultural policy in boosting production.
In Bangladesh, Shykh Seraj is a household name. For the last 25 years he has travelled to different parts including the far-flung corners of the county, met the local farmers and talked with them about various farming practices. His ever-popular programmes, Mati O Manush, once broadcast on BTV, and Hridoye Mati O Manush now being aired on Channel-i, have been a major source for disseminating information on modern agricultural techniques. Over the years, Seraj has focused on how farmers can adopt new technologies and practices to maximize their output within a short period of time, without degrading soil fertility.
Prior to the 1980, agriculture in Bangladesh was mainly focused on farming rice and jute. But according to Seraj, agriculture is an integrated system; a paddy land can be utilized for fishing during the rainy season. An unutilized land can be used to cultivate vegetables that have higher nutrition value. Cow-dung may be used not only as fertilizer but also for generating biogas that will provide electricity in rural houses.
Adopting this integrated agricultural system, rural people can lead better lives, hopes Seraj.
Another problem that villages face is ‘brain drain’. It is a common trend among village youths to seek jobs in urban areas after completing their graduation. Seraj thinks graduates can go back to their villages and help their father in cultivation. It is much easy for an educated farmer to pick up new farming techniques, which will likely yield more profits for the farmers. So, there is a momentary incentive for graduates to return to their farming roots.
Implementing simple farming techniques can have big impacts. The idea of setting poultry cages vertically, instead of horizontally, can save a lot of space. In the course of his regular visits, Seraj also motivated the villagers to plant trees and regard tree plantation as an asset that can provide a hefty return in 20 years, when the trees are sold for timber.
In Bangladesh rapid growth of population has reduced the land for farming. “Just twenty years back, a farmer had one bigha (33 decimals) land, but now he has only one-fourth of that,” observes Seraj. “But we have still two crore [20 million] bigha [6.33 million acre] of unused land which is owned by the government while on the other hand there are one crore [10 million] landless farmers. So if the government distributes these unused lands properly among the farmers, each of the farmers will be able to sell the surplus foods in the market”.
Seraj also points out that our market network system involves layers of intermediaries and , as a result, farm produce like potatoes that cost Taka 5 to 8 per kg in rural markets are sold at Taka 20 in urban markets. “So the farmers are not getting the standard price for their products. But the intermediaries are making a high margin although they are not involved in farming!”
“We have to minimize these intermediaries.” says Seraj emphatically. “There should be only one single hand that will be liable for collecting goods from the crop field and deliver those directly to different markets. This system will ensure our farmers get the due price for their products.” He points out that in Japan there is a single association that collects goods from farmers and directly sends them to different market places.
“They are directly liable to the Ministry of Agriculture for their job.”
Seraj also thinks that produciton of seeds should be in the hands of our farmers and not of businesses. In the last 35 years, BADC met only 5% of the total demand for seed while 90% came from farmers’ own resources- each year farmers used to consume and sell about 95% of their produce on average and stored the rest as seed for the following year. But the problem arose when hybrid seeds came to the market and soon became popular, for our farmers could not produce hybrid seeds on their own. So our government should take the initiative to train farmers on how to make hybrid seeds. If farmers themselves can produce them then they will add more value and gain more in profit.
“Moreover, business people do not have any ethics.” says Seraj. “If they sell seed for Taka 10 per kg this year, they will sell it for Taka 200 per kg next year through syndication. They will not consider our farmers’ rights.”
In fact, one of the major problems of the agriculture sector, argues Seraj, is lack of awareness among the farmers about their rights. “Even our farmers did not know before about the budget allocation for our agriculture which our farmers entitled to get. Farmers in our neighbouring countries like, China, Japan and the Philippines, get the necessary help and facilities from their governments regularly, but in Bangladesh, farmers are invariably deprived of such agricultural facilities (loan facility, standard budget allocation).” Seraj says his programme is now focused on keeping farmers as well as policymakers informed about the existing challenges facing the agriculture sector.
There is a large demand for our agricultural products in the European market. “But we did not even explore more than 20% of that market,” observes Seraj, pointing our airfreight cost as one of the deterring factors. “Biman Bangladesh Airlines does not have any cargo facilities. If there is any space available after loading the luggage only then is there the free space used for vegetables and other agricultural products. Foreign airlines have cargo facilities, but their fare is much higher than that of Biman.”
But potential for export is great and Seraj emphasizes exporting agro-processed items rather than fresh agricultural products. That would add more value and bring more dollars into the country. However, the government has to have a clear vision of agro-based industry. “The must plan how many industries and what type of industries Bangladesh will have in 2010 or 2020 and also they must ensure it to our farmers that all the goods they produce, will be sold out”
One of the major issues facing farmers is that they do not get any standard prices for their produce. However, companies like Pran and Brac have already formed many groups of farmers. They have trained those groups and also assured them that the companies will by produce from them. Seraj says, “There should be more of such organizations that will organize our farmers and buy their products at a standard price. Then our farmers will get the real benefit for their hard work.”
An Executive Times Report by Md. Rokibuzzaman
January 2007
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