Anisul Islam Noor :
The country’s agriculture and rural development sector will get over Tk 40,000 crore in fiscal 2015-16 to maintain sustainable agricultural growth and promote rural development.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith set aside Tk 40,975 crore for the sector in the new budget placed in Parliament on Thursday.
In his budget speech, Muhith claimed that the country has achieved self-sufficiency in food due to agriculture-friendly policies of the government and it is exporting various agricultural produces after meeting the domestic demand.
To sustain this achievement, he told the House, the government will continue with its existing policy strategies such as provision of support for agriculture inputs, extension of agricultural land by removing water-logging and expanding irrigation facilities, distribution of agriculture input assistance cards, development of farmers data-base, diversification of crops, facilitation of marketing for agro-products, use of organic fertilisers and supply of seeds.
About the important of agricultural research, the Finance Minister said advancement in agriculture depends on quality agricultural research and the government will continue research to invent high-yielding variety of crops and salinity, water-logging and drought-tolerant variety of rice.
About livestock sector, he said considering the nutritional demand of people the government needs to attach special importance to the development of the livestock sector, and it will take various projects on pilot basis for this purpose.
Muhith said Bangladesh Bank will soon launch a credit programme for the development of livestock under which loan will be provided at 5 percent interest rate for purchasing and raising livestock.
Highlighting various activities of the government for rural development, the Finance Minister said to alleviate poverty of 10 lakh ultra-poor by March 2016, a project – ‘Economic Empowerment of the Poorest in Bangladesh’ – is being implemented.
“Integrated Rural Employment Assistance Project is being implemented for poor women. At the same time, initiatives are being taken to accelerate the activities of Grameen Bank,” he added.
Muhith said the government has undertaken a project to build low-cost Palli Janapod (rural township) with modern urban facilities on 3.75 acres of land each in 7 areas of 7 divisions where each township with 4-storied residential buildings having 272 flats in four categories will accommodate 272 families.
