The government under the prudent leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is working relentlessly to make agriculture modern and profitable by increasing the use of machinery in agriculture.
A project worth Tk 3,020 crore has been taken with utmost importance in mechanisation of agriculture. Besides, 284 posts of agricultural engineers have already been created at the field level to create skilled manpower to accelerate agricultural mechanisation.
As a result, agriculture is moving towards mechanisation and the benefits of mechanisation are being reaped. This year, due to the increasing use of harvesters and reapers in Boro, it has been possible to quickly and successfully harvest paddy.
Agriculture Minister Md Abdur Razzque said this while speaking as the chief guest at a workshop on ‘Agricultural Mechanisation through Integrated Management’ at the Krishibid Institution (KIB) auditorium at Khamarbari in the capital on Monday.
The Agriculture Minister also said, “Through the ‘Agricultural Mechanization’ project, agricultural implements are being provided to the farmers at 50 percent to 60 percent subsidy based on the regions. This project marked a new chapter in agriculture. This will reduce the time and labor cost of crop production. The agriculture of Bangladesh will be as advanced and modern as the agriculture of the industrialised countries”.
“We want to make agricultural machinery locally in phases,” he said, adding that, “Great importance is being given to facilitate the procurement, purchase, use and repair of agricultural machinery. At present most of the equipment has to be imported from abroad. We want to reduce the import dependency. In the meantime, we have talked to many companies, including Yanmar and Tata, requesting them to set up agricultural machinery factories in Bangladesh”.
He said equipment suppliers need to provide maintenance and aftersales service. In addition, we are putting emphasis on the training for farmers so that they can operate and repair machinery by themselves.
The Agriculture Minister also said that an initiative is being taken to give loans to the farmers so that they can buy agricultural equipment even after getting the subsidy.
Speaking as the special guest, Senior Secretary Md Mesbahul Islam said, “The use of machinery in agriculture will benefit the farmers as well as create employment at the local level. At the same time, crop density will increase and simultaneous cultivation will be accelerated. This will lead to a revolutionary change in agriculture. Bangladesh will be developed based on agriculture.”
Through the ‘Agricultural Mechanisation’ project worth Tk 3,020 crore from the current fiscal year 2020-21 to 2025 about 52,000 different types of agricultural implements will be distributed across the country at 50 percent discount and 70 percent discount at Haor Region.
In the recent fiscal, under the project worth Tk 208 crore, 1,762 combine harvesters, 379 reapers, 34 rice trans planters have been distributed among the farmers across the country. The project has an allocation of Tk 680 crore in the next financial year.
The workshop was chaired by Director General of the Department of Agriculture Extension Md Asadullah. Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Md Mesbahul Islam, Additional Secretary (Extension), Md Hasanuzzaman Kallol, Additional Secretary Wahida Akter, Former Director General of the Department of Agriculture Extension Md Hamidur Rahman, Dr. Sheikh Md Bakhtiyar, Director General of BRRI Shahjahan Kabir also spoke at the programme.
