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Matia slams agency for wrong stats on agriculture

UNB, Dftafa?
Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury yesterday criticised Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) for providing wrong data on boro production to the finance ministry.
At a meeting, Matia came down hard on the officials of the agriculture ministry, Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and BBS.
The minister said the government had set a target for boro production at 1.90 crore tonnes from 48.50 hectares. The target was later revised at 1.87 crore tonnes as crops of 50,500 hectares were submerged by floods in haor areas.
Matia said BBS provided statistics to the finance ministry on May 13 showing a tentative production target of 1.74 crore tonnes when even 50 percent of the boro paddy was not harvested.
The statistics agency calculated 2.77 percent growth in agriculture in fiscal 2009-10, down from 4.81 percent a year earlier.
“Our all efforts and planning are subjected to question because of your wrong information,” the minister told the officials at the meeting.
“According to BBS data, government subsidy on fertiliser, diesel and electricity hasn' t proved useful.”
She said the information clearly reflected an entente with those who opposed subsidy in the sector. BBS provides information on boro production without consulting with the agriculture ministry, she added.
“This year boro production will be very good; hopefully it will cross the target."
The minister told BBS Director General Shajahan Ali Mollah that if officials make such mistakes again, they will have to come to the ministry and speak to journalists.
The minister said the agency had also showed low harvests of Aman, wheat and potato.
It showed potato production of 74 lakh tonnes where it was actually 85 lakh tonnes. In case of Aman, the figure was shown at 1.22 crore tonnes instead of 1.31 crore tonnes.
In an attempt to assuage the anger of Matia, BBS officials said there are procedural differences between them and other organisations for information collection that brought a different result. Besides, they also pointed to the manpower crisis.
The officials admitted a lack of coordination among the agencies that provide agriculture information.
Matia said BBS, SPARSO (Space Research and Remote Sensing Organisation) and DAE provide three different sets of information.
"This can't be allowed.”