A timely interview
photo: Focus Bangla
In his interview in DS, Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled, chairman of Bangladesh Krishi Bank, depicted a crystal clear picture of how the banking sector contributes to the economy by helping the agricultural sector, the single most important sector in which our economic redemption lies in. He covered many things-- fair pricing for farmers, middlemen hurdles, corruption, bad government loans and so forth-- that matter to get our agriculture back to life. To begin with, before making real progress in the agriculture sector, it must be made sure that farmers get fair prices; at least, they should be capable of selling products to the government and other third parties at market rate. However, this is where our farmers are being cheated by the middlemen all along. Yet, some conscious and innovative leaders, like Mr. Khaled, are trying to find out a way to get them out of the situation. Finally, the Krishi Bank chairman comes up with a new solution, "Producers' Cooperative Society", in which farmers will get loan to build warehouses, where they preserve products and sell to the government and others. Other factors that influence our agri-banking are corruption and government interference. Moreover, most of the private banks feel insecure and unprofitable to catch up with the portfolio of agri-banking, though still it is profitable. The chairman of the Krishi Bank is still hopeful about the success of the agriculture sector, and even he thinks that private banks will follow the footsteps of Bangladesh Krishi Bank, and act likewise, at least in regard to farmer friendly warehouse system. At the same time, he urges the government to pay the proposed loan to recover loss, thanks to the present government for paying some 900 crore, though about 1,000 crore is still pending. Put simply, the dire state of agriculture can easily be eased if some proper steps are taken. So, the government should look into the issue and take action accordingly.
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