AL to make country hunger-free, if voted to power
Speaking at a seminar, the AL leaders said they will take steps to ensure adequate supply of seed, fertiliser, diesel and other inputs at a reasonable price to the farmers.
The seminar titled 'Crisis in agricultural sector and failures of the alliance government: Future directives' was organised by the AL at the National Press Club in the city.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "We will definitely fulfill our pledges if we return to power again," said AL Presidium Member Motia Chowdhury.
She said whenever the BNP comes to power the suffering of the farmers increases and the production decreases.
"The country achieved self-sufficiency in food during our regime," said Motia, a former agriculture minister.
She said in stead of developing this sector, the alliance government has increased the price of seed, fertiliser and diesel.
In a keynote paper, Dr Mohammad Abdur Razzaque MP said the coalition government has completely failed to maintain the continuity of successes in the agricultural sector that the AL government achieved.
The price of fertiliser has been raised by 80 percent and the price of diesel has been doubled during the coalition government, he added.
"The government claims that it has increased agricultural subsidy, but the farmers are not getting its benefits," Dr Razzaque said, adding that the real beneficiaries are the importers and dealers.
"Looting is going on in the name of subsidy," he said, adding that the alliance government has no control over market.
The government has also destroyed the jute sector by closing down different mills, he asserted.
AL Presidium Member Abdur Razzak said the alliance government is pursuing a policy of maintaining food deficiency in the country so that they could get foreign aid for looting.
Razzak, a former water resources minister, laid emphasis on co-operative basis cultivation for boosting agricultural production.
Another AL Presidium Member Tofail Ahmed said the alliance government has failed to achieve a single success in agricultural sector, as there is no inter-ministerial coordination within the government.
Tofail, a former industry minister, said the coalition government has made the country dependent on the imports.
Dr Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, a former state minister for planning, said the government has completely failed to reduce the price of agriculture related materials due to immense corruption in this sector.
The farmers are not getting even the production cost of their produces due to toll collection by loyalists to the alliance although the price of all essentials has been hiked.
Key-discussant M Anisuzzaman said the present government has no interest in the development of agricultural sector.
Rather, they have pushed back the success that the AL government achieved," he added.
Economist Dr Atiur Rahman said the BNP government has made the agriculture sector a failed one whenever they came to power and for this the unemployment problem has worsened in the country.
He apprehended a severe famine in the Monga-hit areas within one and half months if the government does not take appropriate measures.
Prof Abdus Sattar Mandol, a former member of the planning commission, said the growth in the agriculture sector has been reduced by one to two percent whenever the BNP comes to power.
"There is a possibility of food crisis in the Boro season due to the governments' mismanagement in this sector," he said, adding, "If this situation continues, the country will be turned into a no-income one very soon."
Former vice-chancellor of Sher-e-Bangla Agriculture University Prof Shahadat Ullah said the alliance government has destroyed the agricultural education through massive appointments of teachers in two agriculture universities on political consideration.
AL Organising Secretary Abdul Mannan said the present government did not take any measurers to increase food production.
"We have to save the farmers from the ugly grip of the coalition government to save the country," said President of Krishak League Dr Mirza Abdul Jalil.