SANGSAD BHABAN, June 27, 2019 (BSS) – Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque today said the government will take steps for commercialisation of agriculture, which will help farmers get fair price of their crops.
“Of course, the government will look into the interest of the farmers. We will do everything possible to protect their interest,” he said while taking part in the general discussion on the proposed budget at the Jatiya Sangsad here.
About the price of paddy, Razzaque said as the production cost of paddy is increased due to high price of agriculture labour, farmers are getting less price of their paddy.
He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina assured that the government will give Taka 3,000 crore, if necessary, for procuring equipment for commercialisation of the country’s agriculture.
The agriculture minister said when the government assumed to the state power in 2009, the global economic meltdown continues while the price of fuel and food was very high. But, he said, the government had advanced the country overcoming the situation.
Citing a quote of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Razzaque said Bangladesh has already achieved a marked progress in all socioeconomic indexes, which is lauded around the globe.
He said once Bangladesh was a country of food deficit, but now it has turned into a country of food surplus.
The agriculture minister said if the farmers do not get fair price of their crops, it would be quite impossible to turn the villages into towns.
Highlighting the different aspects of the proposed budget for fiscal 2019-20, he said about Tk 74,000 crore was allocated to the social safety net progarmme (SSNP) in the proposed budget, which was Tk 64,000 crore in current fiscal.
About five crore people of 76,30,000 households are now getting benefits from the social safety net progarmme, he added.