Bangladesh is an agriculture-dependent country. Despite the development of new sectors in the country’s economy due to the continuation of industrialization, urbanization and technological development, the importance of agriculture has not diminished at all. On the contrary, agriculture is still considered the most important sector for food security, employment, poverty alleviation, export earnings and maintaining the vitality of the rural economy. Almost half of the country’s population is directly or indirectly involved in agriculture. Therefore, it is the demand of the hour to give top priority to agriculture in the formulation of the national budget.
The budget for the fiscal year 2026-2027 needs to be agriculture-friendly, production-oriented, technology-based and effective in protecting the interests of farmers. Taking into account the current global economic crisis, the impact of climate change, the increase in the price of agricultural inputs and dependence on food imports, a budget must be formulated that will make the country’s agriculture more sustainable and profitable.
Food security has become a major challenge in the current world. The Russia-Ukraine war, instability in the Middle East, global energy crisis and climate change have created uncertainty in the international food market. Developing countries are facing extreme pressure in terms of food imports. Bangladesh is no exception. The cost of living of the common people has increased due to the increase in the prices of various food products including rice, wheat, edible oil, pulses. In this reality, the country has no option but to increase its own agricultural production. And for this, an agriculture-friendly budget is needed.
Farmers are conducting agricultural work today through various crises. The costs of fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, irrigation, electricity, diesel, and labor wages have all increased. But farmers do not always get fair prices for their products. Farmers are harmed due to middlemen and consumers are forced to buy products at higher prices. As a result, farmers are being discouraged, and agricultural production is also being negatively affected. Therefore, there must be effective initiatives in the budget to reduce farmers’ production costs and ensure fair prices for agricultural products.
Subsidies for agricultural inputs need to be increased. It is especially important to increase government support for fertilizers, diesel and electricity. Emphasis should be placed on ensuring that farmers can easily and at low cost obtain agricultural inputs. Sometimes, farmers are made to suffer by creating artificial crises in the market. Strict monitoring is required to prevent such situations. The budget should include initiatives to make the agricultural input supply system more transparent and effective.
The use of modern technology should be increased in agriculture. Productivity in the agricultural system of the developed world is much higher due to mechanization and technology-based production methods. The use of agricultural machinery is also increasing in Bangladesh, but it is still much less than the need. Easy loans, subsidies and training should be provided for the purchase of agricultural machinery. Tractors, power tillers, reapers, harvesters, drone technology, smart irrigation systems, etc. should be brought within the reach of farmers. This will reduce production costs and make farming more profitable.
Agricultural loans should be provided easily and at low interest rates. Currently, many farmers face various complications in getting bank loans. As a result, they are forced to take loans from NGOs or moneylenders at high interest rates. This further increases the financial crisis of farmers. It is necessary to launch a special agricultural loan program for marginal farmers in the budget. In addition, distributing agricultural loans digitally will reduce corruption and real farmers will benefit.
The preservation and marketing system of agricultural products needs to be developed. Every year, a large amount of agricultural products are spoiled in the country due to lack of preservation. Farmers face losses due to the lack of adequate cold storage, warehouses and modern preservation systems. Therefore, the budget should include initiatives to build modern cold storage, establish food processing industries and increase export facilities for agricultural products in every region. If the agricultural product processing industry is developed, farmers will get fair prices and the country’s export income will also increase.
It is important to increase investment in agricultural research and innovation. Agriculture is now facing new challenges due to climate change. Risks to crop production are increasing due to drought, floods, salinity, excessive rainfall and increased temperatures. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the budget allocation for climate-tolerant crop varieties, improved seed production and agricultural research. Agricultural research institutions need to be strengthened and modernized.
The amount of agricultural land in Bangladesh is decreasing day by day. Fertile land is being lost due to industrialization and urbanization. If this situation continues, food security may be threatened in the future. Therefore, strict enforcement of laws to protect agricultural land and initiatives to bring uncultivated land under cultivation are necessary. There should be a special action plan in the budget in this regard.
The fisheries and livestock sector is also an important part of agriculture. The role of this sector in the country’s nutritional security, employment and export earnings is very important. Therefore, support for fish, milk, egg and meat production should be increased. Easy loans, food assistance, vaccination and training should be provided for farmers. There should be separate incentives in the budget to sustain small farmers in particular.
The contribution of women in agriculture is very important. Rural women play an important role in farming, livestock rearing, seed conservation and food processing. However, in many cases, they are deprived of the necessary training and financial support. Therefore, it is important to include special credit facilities, training and incentive schemes for women farmers in the budget.
Effective steps are also needed to make the younger generation interested in agriculture. Currently, many young people do not consider agriculture as a profitable profession. As a result, there is a shortage of skilled manpower in agriculture. If modern and technology-based agriculture can be converted into a profitable industry, young entrepreneurs will come forward in agriculture. For this, a special fund can be formed to create agriculture-based startups, agro processing, smart farming and agricultural entrepreneurs.
The government must be more active to ensure fair prices for agricultural products. During the rice harvesting season, farmers are often forced to sell rice at low prices. On the other hand, consumers have to buy the same rice at high prices after a few months. To eliminate this inequality, government food procurement activities must be further expanded. The system of purchasing crops directly from farmers must be strengthened. In addition, market monitoring of agricultural products must be made more effective.
Corruption and irregularities are also a big problem in the agricultural sector. Many times, real farmers are deprived of government benefits. Digital databases and smart cards can be introduced to ensure transparency in the distribution of subsidies, agricultural loans or incentives. In this way, real farmers will easily get government benefits.
Bangladesh has already achieved significant success in food production. But to maintain this achievement, agriculture needs to be made more modern, profitable and sustainable. This requires realistic planning and sincere political commitment to farmers. Not just a paper budget, but effective implementation at the field level is the most important.
The budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year must be farmer-friendly, production-oriented and future-oriented. The agriculture sector must be given utmost importance to ensure the fair rights of farmers, increase production, achieve food security and strengthen the rural economy. If agriculture survives, the country will survive, and if farmers survive, the economy will survive. Therefore, giving top priority to agriculture in this budget is the biggest demand of the time in the interest of national development.
Author Profile:
Lion Md. Gani Mia Babul
(Teacher, Poet, Columnist, Social Worker and Organizer)
Founder President, Bangladesh Government Secondary Teachers Association (Agriculture) Central Committee
Joint Secretary General, Safe Roads Want (NISCHA) Central Committee
70 Kakrail, Dhaka.
E-mail:lionganibabul@gmail.com
Phone: 01552631118, 01842631118
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