Padma Bridge to make farmers’ lives easier, boost agriculture

The Padma Bridge is going to play a vital role in the economic development of 21 districts of the southern part of the country.

This economic development will be centred around farmers, agriculture and food processing sector.

Experts said at present 40 per cent of perishable commodities are thrown away and it can be lowered to the zero level once the bridge is opened. Production of chickens and the number of vegetables and fruit gardens will undoubtedly rise.

Because of the increase in the cultivation of oil seed its byproducts will naturally expand fishing, poultry and cattle firms. At the same time different kinds of food processing factories will begin to be set up.

Large agro-based groups of industries will come forward with their investment leading to the development of no-agricultural sector.

Import-export businesses of agro products, food and other commodities will play significant role taking the advantage of the country’s southern port.

All those factors will generate employment and farmers will also get fair prices of their products stabilizing the prices of essential commodities due to smooth supply chain. It will also reduce wastage.

People involved in the sector said farmers themselves can take their produces to Dhaka beside their sales in local markets giving them opportunity to sell their products at higher prices.

ACI Agribusinesses President F H Ansarey said: “If not sold, farmers had to dump their products. Traders took this opportunity to buy the products of farmers at lower prices to sell them at higher prices at other parts of the country including Dhaka. Farmers didn’t send their products themselves as it involved risks.”

If the ferry delayed for one day all their vegetables would have been spoilt and bus fare lost. But now they don’t have to take that risk because of the Padma Bridge, he said.

This will pave the way for their bargaining strength in local markets and on the other hand they themselves can take their own products to Dhaka to sell them at higher prices.

Former vice-chancellor of Bangladesh Agricultural University M A Sattar Mandal said not only vegetable prices farmers would also get more prices than ever for their eggs, milk, fish and other such essentials.

At least two to three hours can be saved now. One more thing will happen along with it – farmers will psychologically be strengthened that if they don’t get good prices they can take them to Dhaka. Time safe and psychological strength will work together to help them get fair prices, he explained.

Because of smooth transportation wastage of commodities will be reduced significantly and it can be brought down to even zero level, he thinks.

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He attributed two reasons to wastages. First of all, farmers have to throw away a part of their products for not being able to sell them. Secondly, perishable items like vegetables and fruits are spoilt on the ferry because of delay and sometimes they wait for two to three days to cross the river.

Now vegetables can be sold easily for easy transportation because of the installation of the Padma Bridge.

Vegetable and fruit cultivation to grow

The number of gardens of coconuts, watermelons and guavas will grow many times, Sattar said.

Professor Emirates Sattar Mandal said: “Investment in guava processing in Jhalakathi, Swarupkathi and Pirojpur will increase. If not, at least fresh fruits will come within people’s affordability in various parts of the country.”

The number of gardens will grow more rapidly than any other agricultural products in the country, he said.

The available data shows the southern part of the country is lagging fairly behind in vegetable production though in fruit cultivation it is almost equal to other parts of the country.

The country produces a total of 1.22 tonnes of fruits. The amount of fruits cultivated in 21 districts in the southern part of the country is 40.04 lakh tonnes.

On the other hand, the total vegetable production in the country is 3.17 tonnes across the country. Of them, only 66.03 lakh tonnes are produced in those 21 districts, he said.

Poultry and dairy sector to see a boost

Many chicks died while ferrying them in the southern districts but now it is not going to happen. The same way small farmers had difficulties in marketing their chicken meat but due to the construction of the bridge deaths of both chicks and chickens will drop.

Gradually the number of farms too will increase, observed F H Ansarey.

Bhola and Patuakhali districts will see a rise in the number of dairy farms. Normally those two districts produce a lot of milk. Now the investment in the production of milk and other products from it will grow immensely.

New corporate investment in food processing

Ansarey said: “We don’t process any food item in the southern part. Now we are seriously thinking about it. We will collect raw materials available there and process them. After processing we will bring them to Dhaka.”

Other agro-based business groups will too invest there, he said, adding that land price in the northern part had increased after jamuna Bridge was opened. This is also the reason for which many large groups will gradually build their food processing plants in the southern part.

Now sunflower and soybean cultivation are on the rise and it will increase further. Many people will go there to build oil refineries as raw materials are available there and naturally they can be processed there easily.

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Apart from this, the byproducts of it will be used in fodder which will also propel farmers to fish cultivation besides chicken farming, he said, adding that the agriculture would see mechanization while the private sector would enjoy irrigation business.

The agriculture is expected to be commercialized as both time and wastage will be reduced. The flow of private sector investment in the commercialized agriculture will significantly increase modernizing the agriculture more and more.

Sattar Mandal said: “The use of underground water will decrease reducing the consumption of water above ground paving the way for the private sector to get the water pump business. At the same time mechanization of the sector including tractor and power tillers will be accelerated.”

But in the interest of farmers the government must have large investment in the sector, said the Ekushey Medal winner researcher.

Contribution to GDP

Experts in the sector said the agriculture would play a key role in contributing to the country’s GDP. Sattar echoing their view said employment generation and transaction would rise in both agriculture and non-agricultural sectors which in turn would play a role in contributing to the GDP.

Because of the advantage of using the port the businessmen can make their choices between which of the ports – Mongla, Payra and Chattogram - they would like to use in import and export of their products.