Tk170cr incentive for 27 lakh farmers to boost Boro production
The government has started disbursing a Tk170 crore incentive for farmers with the aim of increasing the cultivation and production of Boro paddy.
Under the programme, 27 lakh farmers across the country will get free seeds and fertilisers, a press release of the agriculture ministry said on Tuesday.
This incentive is being disbursed in three categories – seed, fertiliser and machinery.
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Under an incentive of about Tk82 crore, each of 1.5 lakh farmers will be getting 2kg of paddy seeds free of charge to increase the production of hybrid paddy while 1.2 lakh farmers will be beneficiaries of a Tk73 crore incentive to increase the production of high-yielding varieties. In this segment, a farmer will get 5kg of seeds, 10kg of DAP and 10kg of MOP fertiliser required for cultivation of one bigha of land free of cost.
Apart from this, an incentive of Tk15 crore is being given to facilitate the use of agricultural machinery for planting and harvesting paddy in one field at the same time. Under this, 110 blocks or exhibitions will be set up in 61 districts. Each exhibition will be on 50 acres of land and will cost Tk13.7 lakh.
This incentive is being given from the agriculture rehabilitation assistance sector in the regular budget of the ministry of agriculture. These incentive distribution programmes are ongoing at the field level. On average, about 50% of the incentives have already been disbursed.
Balai Krishna Hazra, additional secretary (fertiliser management and inputs), ministry of agriculture, told The Business Standard that the government has increased the allocation of incentives this year to increase agricultural production. Fertilisers and seeds will be distributed among 27 lakh farmers during the Boro season, as against 21 lakh farmers last year.
"We will strengthen monitoring to ensure that fertilisers and seeds reach the actual farmers," he added.
According to agriculture ministry sources, the Boro production target this year has been set at 21 million tonnes, up from 20 million last year.
