With a view to
food boost production, the government has
distributed agricultural machineries at subsided
prices among the farmers in Khulna region.
Under a project ‘Farm Mechanization through
Integrated Management’, the machineries have
been provided to the farmers at 50% subsided
prices for the current boro season.
According to the Department of Agricultural
Extension (DAE), a total of 16,067 agricultural
machineries were given among the farmers of
Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira and Narial districts.
The machineries include 102 combine harvesters,
248 reaper machines, 8 rice transplanters, 11,063
power-tillers, 177 tractors and 4,469 power
threshers.
A total of 4,987 agricultural machineries were
given to the farmers of Khulna district, 3,063 in
Bagerhat, 6,064 in Satkhira, and 1,953 in Narail
respectively, DAE sources said.
Talking to BSS, Additional Director of the DAE in
Khulna Zone Mohon Kumar Ghosh today said
that the government has attached the highest
priority to the agriculture se
ctor, adding that the
farm-machinery distribution initiative has been
contributing a lot towards boosting food
production.
The grassroots farmers are gradually being
habituated and accustomed to the need-based
machinery and technologies through diversified
interventions so that they can derive total benefits
from various types of machinery, he said, adding
that in 2007, cyclone ‘Sidr’ and in 2009, cyclone
Aila hit the south-west coast of Bangladesh which
caused salinity in the farming land and
cultivation in this region has become more
difficult in the last few years due to insufficient
rain.
‘The cost of agricultural production has increased
many times. Keeping this in mind, the
government has been distributing agricultural
machinery at a 50% government subsidized price
during the current Boro season,’ he added.
Rahim Mia, a farmer of Samantosena village
under Rupsa upazila of Khulna district, said,
‘The farmers are expecting higher production of
Boro rice as the use of agricultural ma
chinery has
been increased in this season.’
Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina, Tanjer Ali Sikder, a farming land owner
of Paylatola village under Morrelganj upazila in
Bagerhat district, told BSS, ‘Poor farmers of our
village are very happy after getting modern
agricultural machineries specially power tillers
and power threshers at a discount price in
comparison to the market price.’
Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha