Mohammad Badrul Ahsan :The Country’s expenditure on agricultural subsidy has continued to decline for the last three consecutive years, thanks to the downtrend in fertiliser prices in the international market, sources said.The downward trend of price fall of fertiliser in the international market has helped the country to save around Tk 40 billion during the period, they added.Experts, however, said it could be good news only when farmers’ condition is improved and production is handsome. A high official at the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) told The New Nation that the ministry has been able to save a handsome amount from farm subsidy against the fixed allocation thanks to the low prices of fertiliser in the global market.He said from fiscal year (FY) 2013 to 2015, the government’s allocation on farm subsidy was fixed at Tk 90 billion every year.The spending on farm subsidy was around Tk 120 billion in FY’13. He said the actual expenditure on agri subsidy in FY’14 declined to Tk 89.6 billion.The cost plunged to Tk 70.95 billion in the FY’15 when 3.73 million tonnes of fertiliser were imported of which urea was 1.87 million tonnes.Tk 1.59 billion was paid as electricity rebate in FY’15, he said. According to the global commodity web-portal ‘indexmundi’, urea price has been hovering between US$ 203 to $ 260 per tonne (Tk 16.24 to Tk 20.8 per kg) in the globe for the last one year.Price of TSP (triple super phosphate) dropped to $ 275 (March 2016) from $ 385 (July 2015) per tonne during the period, according to the portal.However, MoA sources could not give the figure of total expenditure and subsidy in the last FY (2015-16) is yet to calculate. Additional Secretary (Administration & Inputs) of MoA Md Nasiruzzaman told The New Nation on Tuesday that they were expecting another Tk 20 billion savings this year thanks to low price range of major input — fertiliser.He said apart from subsidies on fertiliser and power, farmers have been given 670 million direct subsidies both in cash and inputs in the outgoing fiscal year. He said the allocation for farm subsidy will also remain at Tk 90 billion in the upcoming budget for FY’17. Former food secretary Abdul Latif Mandal said such saving is a good news when the country has a big budgetary deficit. If the ministry can maintain such austerity, there is a need to evaluate the allocation for farm subsidy. “But we should also see how could the amount saved be used in research development and other required sectors of agriculture. Austerity might be praised if this could help in socio-economic development of the farmers,” he said. “Farmers incurred loss from cultivating rice. They could be subsidised in diesel and other inputs,” he added.The production scenario is outstanding for last decade but the condition of farmers has deteriorated.He said more than 1.8 million farmers left farming in last five years finding agriculture non-profitable.
