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Save farm lands by using better policy

Akbar Ali Khan urges govt at a discussion of Bangladesh Economic Association

Star Business Report
The government should save farm lands by adopting a better policy for using lands, said Akbar Ali Khan, an economist and a former adviser to the caretaker government.
“We are witnessing a gradual decline in arable lands due to a rise in population and infrastructures," said Khan.
He spoke at a programme organised by Bangladesh Economic Association at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, in Dhaka where a memorial speech on Structural Changes in Bangladesh Agriculture was delivered.
The country had around 2.15 crore acres of cultivable lands fifty years ago, which come down to 1.88 crore acres in2008, according to an agriculture census in2008.
It is not possible for Bangla-
desh to build infrastructures by acquiring a vast area of lands like the western countries do, said the former adviser.
“We should make a coordinated effort to reduce over dependence on highways,” said Khan. The government has to strengthen waterways and rail communication to protect arable lands, he said.
The former finance adviser also said the government should adopt a policy to build infrastructures that require minimum farmlands.
“We should follow the Japanese model rather than the US one for building infrastructures as it will ensure proper utilisation of lands,” he said.
In his memorial speech, Planning Commission Member MA Sattar Mandal said per capita domestic production of rice went
up from 120 kilogram in the preliberation period to220kg now.
Liquid milk, livestock and fish production also increased significantly, he said.
The country had a capacity to produce around five lakh tonnes of liquid milk a year during midseventies, but the amount now stands at 24 lakh tonnes a year, said Mandal.
“We have also witnessed a revolution in egg production during the period.”
The annual egg production was 130 crore pieces during midseventies, which now reaches 574 crore pieces, he said.
Once bulk of fish supplies came mainly from open water bodies, but the situation has changed significantly over the last forty years, said the planning commission member.
Around 8.15 lakh tonnes of
fish came from open water bodies in early-seventies, said Mandal.
But, fish from ponds and ditches now accounts for 80 percent of the total yearly production at 30.61 lakh tonnes, he added.
The agriculture sector has also witnessed a change in the cultivation method during the last forty years, he said.
The country had only 3,000 four-wheeler tractors and 6,000-7,000 two-wheeler ones during the early seventies, he said. Now the number of both the types stands at 7-8 lakh, including power tillers.
An increased number of farmers are now using power tillers for cultivating lands. As a result, a new service business has come to the limelight, he said.
Mandal also stressed the need for farming agricultural
products on the premises of houses. “We should focus on cultivating vegetables, fruits and mushrooms on the yards of houses to ensure proper use of lands,” he said.
The marginal farmers are not getting the real benefit from increased outputs due to lower prices of their produce, Mandal said, adding that the current price of rice is lower than the production cost.
The price of rice should be raised from Tk 500-Tk 550 per maund to Tk 800 per maund as it will give the marginal farmers higher profit, he said.
Bangladesh Economic Association organised the memorial speech, commemorating late Professor Dr Mohammad Akhlakur Rahman for his outstanding contribution to the field of economics.