ZCZC
BSS–45
FARM-MACHINERIES-DISTRIBUTION
Farmers to get 52,000 farm machineries in next 4 year : Dr Razzaque
DHAKA, Apr 6, 2021 (BSS) – Agriculture Minister Dr M Abdur Razzaque today said the government will distribute nearly 52,000 farm machineries among farmers throughout the country in next four years to make crop production more profitable and bring change in country’s conventional farming method.
“Nearly 52,000 farm machineries will be distributed among farmers throughout the country between the fiscal year of 2020-21 and 2025,” he said while inaugurating distribution of farm machineries including combined harvesters and reapers virtually from his ministry conference room here.
Around 10 to 15 years back, crop production entirely depended on manual system as people used handmade plough for land cultivation, but now people are using mechanized equipments for land cultivation and threshing. “Manual system is still being used for harvesting and crop plantation,” he said.
To bring a revolutionary change in farming sector, the government will distribute the farm machineries through the ‘Farm Mechanization’ project worth around Taka 3,020 crore which has been launched on priority basis by the present government since 2009.
In 2020-21, the government will distribute a total of 5,776 different types of machineries including 1,617 combined harvesters, 701 reapers and 184 rice trans-planters in 500 upazilas under the project.
For harvesting rice crop, some 510 combined harvesters and 231 reapers will also be distributed in the Haor areas, the minister told the function.
Farm Mechanization project — providing 70 % subsidy to the haor and coastal belt farmers and other areas farmers getting 50% for buying machineries– will help to bring a revolutionary change in the agriculture sector of the country.
State Minister for Social Welfare M Ashraf Ali Khan Khosru attended the function virtually from Netrokona and distributed the farm machineries among the farmers.
Senior Agriculture Secretary M Meshbahul Islam, Additional Secretary Dr M Abdur Rauf, Additional Secretary M Ruhul Amin Talukder, Additional Secretary (fertilizer management and Inputs)M Mahbubul Islam, Director General (seed) Balai Krishna Hazra, and Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) chief M Asadullah were also present at the conference room during the time.
DAE’s field service wing Director Manirul Alam and project director were also connected virtually with the programme from Singair in Manikganj. Over 500 agriculture officials and farmers from thirteen upazilas under 13 agriculture regions were present virtually in the programme.
Participating in the programme, DAE’s Director General (DG) M Asadullah said, “An estimated Taka 5,271 crore could be saved if we can harvest boro crop on 48 lakh hectares of land in the country by using mechanical harvesting system.”
BSS/PR/OG/ARS/2009 hrs