The New Nation - Internet Edition

THE Boro rice cultivation is now in full swing throughout the country along with other important crops like potatoes and wheat. The supply of fertilisers, seeds, power and diesel to run irrigation pumps, are the keys to having satisfactory output of these crops. Specially the success in Boro rice cultivation is very important for the economy. The need for a bumper harvest of Boro rice is much greater this year in the backdrop of the existing food shortages in the country. The Aman harvest yielded some 16 lakh tonnes short of the target, according to some quarters because of two big floods in quick succession and the Sidr storm. The government says that the shortfall would be no more than 15 lakh tonnes. Even this amount is a large one compared to other years. What is more significant, the government must play its facilitatory role fully for the production of a very successful Boro rice crop in the coming months. Only from doing of this, both prices of rice and the need for its massive import will decline.

Urea fertiliser is the key to raising a good crop of Boro rice but the availability of it is found to be scarce in many parts of the country. This scarcity was reported to be particularly acute during the start of the Boro cropping season. Reports pouring in from all over the country suggest that the fertiliser crisis is now a full blown one. Reportedly, farmers have been agitating for supply of fertilisers in many parts of the country. Angry farmers demanding adequate supplies of fertilisers, are being reported in the press every day. It appears that fertiliser supply in relation to demand is particularly poor in most of the districts. In some areas, one bag of fertiliser is being distributed among a number of farmers which is inadequate to meet the needs of any of them. Thus, in this condition of denial of a major input, farmers are passing a very anxious time about the fate of their Boro crop. The crops are at a mature state in the fields and now is the time for maximum application of fertilisers but supplies of this commodity are running dry.

The government must not remain indifferent to these developments on the pretext of its preoccupation with other nationally important tasks. Bangladesh is still mainly an agricultural country notwithstanding its considerable economic diversification. Nearly 80 per cent of the people derive their livelihood directly or indirectly from the agrarian economy and, therefore, any significant setback caused to this economy due to production losses of the major crop, must have serious adverse repercussions. The ones who should be concerned in the government must not waste a moment in devising and implementing policies immediately to sort out the mess in the supply of fertilisers.