Belal Hossain has long been struggling to come out of poverty but he is yet to change his fate for being an islander in Jamalpur.
The man, who is in his 30s and lives in Char Sisua under Shapdhori union in Islampur upazila, solely relies on farming to bear his family expenditure.
"But it has become tough for growers for rising costs in farming, say fertiliser, seed, irrigation, diesel, pest control and transportation," he told the FE.
"We don't get any institutional loan to ease this financial burden. So, we have to find someone in the neighbourhood for money," lamented the Char Sisua resident under Shapdhori union.
Farmers, however, said such reliance on neighbours has also shrunk as people have to break their savings and adjust it with the rising prices of daily essentials.
People in outlying islands like Belal need institutional loan facility and proper transportation to tap full their potential and bring them to the mainstream.
Rahima (45), a cattle rearer, has no bank account. She had to marry off her daughter borrowing money from neighbours. She works overtime to repay the money.
The FE recently toured Islampur to get a first-hand picture of the islanders.
Shapdhori chairman Md Mozaffor Ahmed said small engine boat is the only mode of transport and there is no road link yet in char area, disrupting goods shipment, health, education and farming.
Rainy season is the leanest period for people with no work. Many leave low-laying areas for cities, including Dhaka, to find work.
People usually earn a paltry Tk 3,000-5,000 per month for a hardscrabble upbringing, he added.
Monowar Hossain, a farmer in his twenties, heads a three-member family. He said farming costs hiked Tk 10,000 per bigha last year.
Farmers are struggling to manage money to irrigate, buy fertilizer and other essentials, he told the FE.
However, char farming has increased after the arrival of hybrid seed, but additional costs are required for fertiliser and insecticide.
Now we get 25-30 maund of paddy per bigha, which was 10-15 maund earlier, said Mr Monowar.
They mostly cultivate vegetable, high-yielding paddy, maize, jute, onion, chilly and almond on average three crops a year for hybrid seeds and M4C support.
M4C is mandated by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives.
For lack of a proper system, char farmers cannot reserve crop seeds, thus raising farming costs higher than ever before, according to farmers.
Economists for loan support
Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) distinguished fellow Prof Mustafizur Rahman said the government and NGOs need to reach out to remote char lands with support.
"Islanders usually lag behind others in the mainstream. We need to bring them to the mainstream to meet SDGs and build an inclusive society," he told the FE.
"The marginalised char people need special support to take their products to markets on time without middlemen's intervention. They need modern technologies in crop production, agricultural extension service, advance marketing and access to quality seeds."
Meanwhile, the char people are geographically prone to climate disaster and floods. So, the government and NGOs should extend their activities to keep them safe during flood period, he continued.
"Poultry, livestock, inter-agricultural fields, alternative employment and skills development should be enhanced so char people, who mostly depend on agriculture, can diversify their engagement."
What the islanders mostly need is financial support as they have limited access to banking, micro-finance and SME loan, cited Mr Rahman.
Shubash Chandra Das, director, Haor and Char Development Institute at Bangladesh Agricultural University, said they are working to install a substation in Islampur town for char people.
A memorandum of understanding would be signed with the Bangladesh Rural Development Academy to this end.
"We're working to meet the goal of utilising each piece of land amid a shrinking space for agriculture in the country. And char lands have huge potential, including that of Jamalpur," said Mr Shubash.
He suggested going for diversified agri-products.
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) Jamalpur zone chief scientific officer Manzur Kader said there is no banking operation in char lands here, excepting agent banking but on a limited scale.
"For financial transaction, most of them use mobile financing nowadays," he told the FE.
There is huge potential of and demand for home-made char goods elsewhere such as almond, onion, maize and sundry other local food items with the crops.
But char farmers and households, who are involved in producing local delicious food items, could not reach the market for lack of a smooth transport system.
Mr Kader said, "Solar panels can be a sustainable solution to irrigation and other services in Islampur charland."
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