Govt to give Tk 80 cr agriculture incentive

The government will give seed and chemical fertilizer worth nearly Taka 80 crore among the country’s small and marginal farmers free of cost under the agricultural incentive programme, BSS reported.

Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury formally disclosed this while addressing a press briefing at the ministry’s conference room here today.

Under the programme, she said, a total of 6,90,970 marginal farmers will get free seed and fertiliser worth Taka 79,99,82,495 for cultivating eleven types of crops on a bigha of land each during winter and summer seasons.

“The government is providing the incentive from the annual budget allocated for the Agriculture Ministry…it will not require additional fund from the government exchequer,” Matia said.

The small and marginal farmers will get their required seed and fertilizer for cultivating 11 types of crops, including wheat, maize, mustard, peanuts, felon, grass pea (khesari dal), BT brinjal, boro paddy and winter season Mung dal in Robi season and subsequently summer season Mung and sesame (Til) cultivated during Kharif-1 season.

The main objective of the incentive programe is to enhance production of the cereal food by increasing crop area and per unit production.

The incentive will get a total of 65,007 famers for cultivating wheat while 2,21,500 farmers for maize; 2,10,002 farmers for mustard; 10,001 for cultivating peanuts; 18,000 farmers for til; 48,400 farmers for summer season mung; 24,300 for winter season mung; 13,600 farmers for cultivating grass pea; 5,400 farmers for felon cultivation; 2,070 for BT Brinjal cultivation; and 71,700 farmers for boro paddy cultivation.

High officials of different agencies under the Agriculture Ministry, including its secretary in-charge M Nasiruzzaman, were present at the press briefing.