Peasant organisation leaders and rights activists on Friday asked the government to take the views of farmers, agriculture economists and agriculturists before adopting the draft agriculture policy.
They also demanded that the government must consult and take the views of the leaders of different peasant organisations to make the proposed agriculture policy effective for achieving food security and national food sovereignty.
They described the draft policy as unrealistic as it ignores the farmers, the key factor behind agricultural productivity.
Speaking at a demonstration they said that they came to know that the government would soon place the draft agriculture policy in parliament seeking its approval without caring to take the views of the farmers, peasant organisation leaders and agriculturists.
The human chain was jointly organised by the Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihood and Nagarik Sanghati in front of the National Press Club.
They said that the draft agriculture policy would encourage the production of only food grains and neglect cash crops.
They said that the draft policy also neglected two agricultural sub-sectors – fisheries and livestock.
They said that the draft policy did not give due importance to the issue of timely supply of seeds to the growers.
They said that the government followed a contradictory approach in making the draft agriculture policy by following the prescriptions of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers it had rejected in 2009.
They called it regrettable and unacceptable that a draft policy like this was now being finalized on the wrong advice of some 'bureaucrats' and 'consultants who knew nothing about the ground realities of agriculture in Bangladesh.
They said that the draft policy did not reflect the government's 'political commitments to agriculture.'
They said that implementation of the policy, containing 'imposed agenda,' would spell disaster for the country's agriculture which provide sustenance to two thirds of Bangladesh's population and 52 per cent of its total workforce.
They said that it would be absolutely to adopt a policy like this considering agriculture's contribution to GNP, employment, poverty alleviation, livelihood, food sovereignty and security and socio-economic development.
They said that none of these goals could be achieved by adopting a policy that ignores agriculture.
They warned that the farmers, leaders of different peasant organizations, agriculture economists and agriculturists would reject the policy if their views were not taken into consideration.
Chaired by Nagarik Sanghati general secretary Sharifuzzaman Sharif, the rally held at the end of the demonstration was also addressed by Bangladesh Krishak Samity president Morshed Ali, Jatiya Krishak Jote general secretary Anwarul Islam Babu, Bangladesh Krishak Federation central committee member Rezaul Islam Raja and Protect and Progress Foundation general secretary Jibanananda Jayanta.
Source : New Age
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