It is encouraging to note that agriculture is gradually becoming a major export earning sector for Bangladesh. The country's agricultural export has witnessed a sharp rise in the first 10 months of the current fiscal. As reported by this daily on Wednesday in the first ten months of the current financial year (July 2021 to April 2022), the income from the export of agricultural products has been Tk 104.14 crore dollars. Indeed, such a boost in agro export is the consequence of the government’s relentless efforts to boost the country’s agro economy and bring efficiency in the firm sector by enhancing export of processed agro-food.
There is great demand for processed food products in different countries of the world. Even in China and Japan the demand is increasing rapidly. But it is disconcerting to note that we do not have adequate infrastructure facilities to process our agro produce. Hence, the government needs to focus on the food processing industry and build necessary infrastructure to get the most out of this sector.
In order to keep the momentum of the current growth of agro
export intact, we should diversify agricultural
production and improve market linkages for small-holder farmers
The authorities concerned should therefore, extend necessary cooperation to entrepreneurs involved with food processing industry. Also, the government should act promptly to reduce trade barriers with different countries. In order to keep the momentum of the current growth of agro export intact, we should diversify agricultural production and improve market linkages for small-holder farmers.
It is very important for the government and authorities concerned to continue their concerted efforts to maintain the momentum of the country’s food production and export growth of agro-products. Bangladesh’s agriculture has seen a revolution in the last decade. With the rapid growth of population, Bangladesh has been successful in giving a boost to its agricultural growth and equipping its agricultural sector with new technologies. As a consequence, country’s earning from the exports of agricultural products saw a whopping growth in the last couple of years. However, maintaining the tempo of the growth would not be so easy for Bangladesh due to scarcity and degradation of arable land, impact of climate change in the forms of salinity intrusion, soil degradation and so on.
In climate-prone Bangladesh, agriculture is influenced by climatic variables such as temperature, rainfall, humidity and so on. Here production of crops, particularly rice, is often constrained by different hazards such as floods, droughts, soil and water salinity, cyclones and tidal surges. Hence, the authorities concerned should address the consequences of climate change as a major threat to the country’s optimum crop production and overall agricultural output. In this regard, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute should work for diversifying the cropping system introducing new varieties.
