The government has finally decided to provide Tk 3.50 billion (350 crore) as cash subsidy on the use of diesel for irrigation purpose in the ensuing Boro season, halving more than the amount proposed earlier, official sources said.
According to the decision, some 90 million Boro farmers will come under the diesel subsidy programme this year, they mentioned.
The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) had earlier submitted a Tk 7.73 billion worth of diesel subsidy plan to the agriculture ministry.
But the ministry has downsized the proposed subsidy by more than 50 per cent in line with the government's budgetary allocation for it, a senior official said.
Under the revised scheme, the direct cash support will be available for irrigating Boro cropping land up to three 'bighas', said the official.
Each of the selected farmers, according to the decision, will receive Tk 5.0 as cash subsidy against the use of each litre of diesel for running irrigation pumps, he mentioned.
Citing an official estimate, he also said around 35 litres of diesel are required to run pumps for irrigating a 'bigha' of Boro land and the official rate of diesel is now Tk 35 per litre.
"Such cash support will help marginal farmers reduce their overall irrigation costs to some extent," an agriculture ministry official said.
The diesel subsidy will be disbursed among the selected Boro cultivators after the distribution of the proposed 'agri-inputs distribution cards' among 15 million farmers across the country.
He further said the proposed diesel subsidy will be in addition to a 20 per cent incentive for electricity-run irrigation pumps.
The government has taken up the diesel subsidy scheme, among other incentives, for helping farmers reduce their Boro cultivation cost, a senior agriculture ministry official said.
"The government has already taken some price-support measures for farmers with a view to helping boost the country's Boro production in the coming season, said the official.
The country's Boro output, according to the DAE, was estimated at about 18 million tones.
The direct cash subsidy on use of diesel for irrigation purpose was first introduced in 2007 by the past caretaker government.
Although the interim administration had initially allocated Tk 7.50 billion for disbursement of diesel subsidy among Boro farmers in the 2007-'08 cultivation season, later the amount was cut short to Tk 2.4 billion.
Some 6.6 million listed 'Boro' cultivators came under the direct cash support programme, official sources said.
In the following year the caretaker government also earmarked Tk 5.40 billion to be disbursed as diesel subsidy among the Boro farmers but eventually, the programme was not implemented.
The sources attributed the non-execution of the second diesel subsidy scheme to some 'flaws' in both the selection of beneficiaries and disbursement of the fund. |
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