Agriculture potential in Bangladesh
Bangladesh is a lower middle income, predominantly agricultural nation with a large and substantial section of the population still living under poverty. It is difficult for poor local farmers residing in remote areas to get bank loans or financial support to buy expensive farm equipment or necessary agricultural chemicals for boosting crop production.
Bangladesh practices a low input agricultural system. There is huge potential of developing extensive, low cost organic production system in different suitable parts of the country.
The country needs to first educate and train local farmers in organic production. Traditional agricultural production system in developing countries like Bangladesh is in line with modern organic production system. With a little help and some economic and technological support of the government, organic production system can indeed be a promising reality for Bangladesh.
Once slowly established, this will free poor marginal farmers from the socio-economic pressures of money lenders as they will need less input in the form of expensive synthetic fertilisers and agro-chemicals. Furthermore, due to the increasing popularity of organic products around the globe, farmers from Bangladesh will be able to export their organic products to international markets where there is high demand for organic products among health conscious customers.
Saikat Kumar Basu
Canada
