The government has now no plan to raise the price of fertiliser despite its four-fold increase in the international market, said Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque on Wednesday.
Besides, the minister said that the recent hike in fuel price will “definitely” impact the agriculture sector, but the government has no immediate plan to increase the subsidies on diesel farmers use to run irrigation pumps.
“The process to provide subsidy in diesel to farmers for irrigation purposes is so complex. So, the government has no plan to provide any new subsidy in it,” he said.
Razzzque said this at a press briefing at his office after his recent visit to the Netherlands and the UK, reports UNB.
Replying to a question about the recent hike in fuel and kerosene prices Razzaque said “Definitely there will be an impact on the agriculture sector and there is no question to deny it.”
He said the farmers have already been going through many problems and in the peak season this year, they did not get the desired price for their crops.
He, however, said farmers will not be immediately affected by diesel price hikes as 40 per cent of the irrigation pumps are run by electricity.
The minister further said that if the price of diesel falls in the international market Bangladesh government will also reduce it.
On the outcome of the visits, he said the Dutch government has assured to provide necessary assistance to Bangladesh in producing a high-yielding variety of onion.
“There is a problem in the country to preserve onion and due to lack of preservation onions are rotting and that’s why the Netherlands will provide technical assistance to us,” he said.
The Netherlands will send a trade mission in March next year to discuss support in the agriculture sector and the expansion of trade relations between the two countries.
The mission will provide support in building silos for preserving potatoes, production of climate-tolerate crops, building green and glasshouses, he added.
During the UK visit, Bangladesh signed MoU with the Food Standard Agency of the UK for setting up modern testing labs and developing an internationally accepted Phytosanitary certification system in the country, Razzak said.
This will help boost Bangladesh’s agro-products to European countries, he said.
He said the government focusing on setting up an agro-processing industry aimed at boosting agricultural exports. This will also help raise farmers’ income.