Editorial
Local machinery help farmers
An impetus to farming
Across Gazipur district, very few buffalos can be seen tilling the land. That is because nowadays in areas like Kaliakair, power tillers and tractors have replaced the traditional cattle-drawn plough. And it is not just ploughing, rather most of the process involved from tilling to turning the crop into finished rice is slowly being mechanised across Bangladesh. What is interesting to note here is that this technological innovation is being driven mostly by locally produced machinery coming out of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI).
BARI has produced 22 types of farming equipment ranging from ploughing, applying fertiliser to the land, crop-cutting, etc. These are being introduced to farmers in phases under a project that aims to mechanise the farming scene nationwide over phases. Some 700 mechanics and 1,000 farmers have received training under the first phase. The advantage associated with procuring BARI-produced equipment is that farmers receive subsidy up to 25 per cent on selling price. Again with the fall in general livestock population, it has become imperative to introduce equipment that will replace traditional farming animals. Mechanisation will assist in increasing production and reducing wastage – two major farming issues that have plagued policymakers for decades.
A survey carried out by BARI shows that utilising a fertiliser-application machine can save urea and crop wastage to the tune of Tk7,500 crore per annum. Besides the cost factor, were these equipments to gain widespread acceptability of the farming community, it could spark the growth of a whole range of ancillary industries that can generate further employment.
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