Bangladesh needs to explore overseas markets for its agricultural products to make farming a profitable business.

There has been an ingrained attitude among farmers and government that farm products are only meant for meeting domestic food demand. So, new initiatives based on technology are not coming in the sector, which contributes 25 per cent to gross domestic products.

Experts, policymakers, politicians, agricultural entrepreneurs and civil society members came up with the observations yesterday in Dhaka at a working session on a Task Force Report on 'Rural Economy: Agriculture and NonFarm' of the three-day National Policy Review Forum 2003, organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), The Daily Star and the Prothom Alo.

They said although Bangladesh is traditionally an agriculture-based country, this sector cannot emerge as a profitable business due to lack of government support, besides the ignorance of farmers.

They urged the government to increase subsidy in agriculture sector to make it vibrant and profitable.

Reminding of the fact that 80 per cent of the country's population live in rural areas and most of them are farmers, the speakers warned if the government fails to make their occupation profitable, the national economy will be hit hard.

Addressing the session, former agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury said as arable land is shrinking, the government should take vigorous efforts for land reclamation.

Citing example of some European countries who reclaim land from sea, she said Bangladesh has good prospects in reclaiming land from the Bay of Bengal as

many big rivers meander through the Delta to fall into the Bay.

"We have lot of islands but people do not want to live there, as there is no electricity, communication and other required infrastructures. So, these islands remain largely inhabited and untapped," she lamented.

She urged the government to increase agriculture loan and subsidy in the sector to help local agroproducts compete in global market.

On patent of agro-products, she said negotiating skills and expertise should be developed to obtain patent rights of indigenous varieties.

Speaking as chief, Land Minister Shamsul Islam said apart from ensuring reasonable prices, farmers should be given required logistics support to preserve and process surplus products to market in foreign countries.

Acknowledging land reforms as a core demand of farmers, he assured owners will be provided with Certificates of Land Ownership (CLO) under a land reform project. Once completed, the entire land ownership status of the country will be computerised, bringing an end to

untold hassles in registration, survey and ownership transfers, the minister said.

Chaired by Abu Ahmed Abdullah, chairman of the Task Force and research director of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), the session was also addressed by Dr Quazi Shahabuddin, co-chair of the Task Force and director general of BIDS.

Motiur Rahman, editor of the Prothom Alo, made the welcome statement at the session held at the Academy for Planning and Development Auditorium.

MM Akash, member secretary of the Task Force and professor of Department of Economics of Dhaka University, presented the keynote paper on 'Rural Economy: Agriculture and Non-Farm.'

The Task Force put forward seven recommendations for strengthening rural economy. The recommendations include increasing growth in agriculture sector and food security; ensuring easy agriculture loan; ensuring reasonable price of farm products; inventing modern technology and extending it to field level; reforming land management;

improving fish and livestock resources and help evolving agrobased industries.

It also recommended for increasing subsidy and reducing diesel and power prices.

The Task Force recommended taking efforts to create market of agro-items abroad for sustainable development of the key sector.

It also called for crop diversification and improving preservation and process system.

The Task Force also urged the government to press the developed nations to stop farm subsidies in their agriculture sector, besides calling for united efforts of poor countries to get duty and quota free access to rich countries.

In view of EU's everything but arms system for LDCs, the Task Force asked the government to help local exporters improve quality of their products to reap maximum gains from the offer.