The government last week sent two letters to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) cancelling leave of officials at all levels till March to help achieve the production target of 1.8 crore tonnes of rice in the Boro season.
High officials at the agriculture ministry said a bumper harvest of Boro, Aus and Aman could be yielded earlier as the immediate past caretaker government laid emphasis on rice production after cyclone Sidr.
Being inspired by the success, the new government has already taken several steps to increase Boro production.
The government directed the officials at the head office to intensify field-level monitoring through spot visits in 64 districts on workdays and weekly holidays.
Officers at regional offices will have to pay field level visits regularly and keep the higher authorities apprised.
It directed the authorities concerned to ensure that the officials at district and upazila levels stay at their workplaces and also withheld the permission to leave workplaces till March.
The government also asked the DAE officials and employees to work sincerely and provide farmers with all necessary assistance and service to boost Boro production.
It also stressed the need for making quality fertilisers available to farmers timely at subsidised prices.
About 1.40 to 1.45 crore tonnes of boro is produced normally in a season in the country.
The immediate past caretaker government took initiatives to boost Boro production after cyclone Sidr dealt a severe blow to Aus and Aman productions. Following the initiatives, Boro production stood at 1.77 tonnes in the last season.
Farmers yielded bumper Aus and Aman harvests in the current season. The production of Aus was 23.12 lakh tonne, which is normally 15 to 17 lakh tonnes.
According to agriculture ministry’s primary statistics, Aman production in the current season is 1.30 crore tonnes, which normally remains around one crore tonnes.
Sources said considering all the facts, the government has set a high production target of 1.8 crore tonnes in the Boro season.
Keeping in mind the fulfilment of the election pledge, the Awami League government said it would be happy if it could bring down rice price to Tk 19 to 20 a kg.
The price of coarse rice has already come down to Tk 25 to 27. The fall in the price was 11 per cent over the last month, according to the TCB report.
But it will be necessary to reduce the production costs to bring down rice prices further.
The government has already decreased the prices of fertiliser and diesel to bring down production costs.
However, economists said only reduction in prices of agri-inputs would not be enough. It has to be ensured that the agri-inputs are available to farmers timely.
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