PRESS RELEASE
Mymensingh press club, 30 May, 2016
BAFLF term the WTO treaty on
agri-subsidies withdrawal suicidal for Bangladesh,
Demanded special measures in the 2016-17 budget to ensure sustainable
food security
Govt. must be prepared
for the post subsidy era
Bangladesh
Agricultural Farm Labour Federation has termed the recent WTO treaty on subsidy
withdrawal from agriculture as suicidal for the food security of Bangladesh.
They were speaking from press conference held today in Mymensingh press club.
They said, the 10th Ministerial Conference of World Trade Organization
(WTO has decided to bring an end to agriculture subsidies. Developing countries
will remove subsidies within 2023, Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and net
food-importing countries will do that within 2030. It means countries like
Bangladesh has to stop all its supports towards agriculture. It will lead
Bangladesh may be to remove almost a full ministry called Ministry of
Agriculture that is providing various extension supports to the agriculture
sector.
Md.
Anower Hossain, president of BINA Workers Association and CC member BAFLF
presided over the press conference. On behalf of the BAFLF Sultan Ahmed placed
some specific recommendations from the press conference, these are: (i) implementation
of strong laws controlling commercialization of agricultural lands to save
small farmers land and to refrain marginalized farmers from selling their
lands, (ii) introduction of cooperative farming to save the small scale
farmers, govt. incentives must be there to save the small scale farmers (iii) Establishment
of dam in coastal areas must get priorities to save the coastal farmers from
river erosion, flash flood and seal level rising (iv) implementation of strong
and effective market mechanism so that farmers access and control over the
marker established, (v) enhanced capacities of public sector in seeds
productions and distribution, more allocation for BADC must be ensured, (vi) We demand extension of sustainable and eco-friendly
agricultural technologies.
Sultan Ahmed said, in one hand it is
said that country has become food surplus country and we are exporting food and
food import is also going, what is the reality then? Agriculture of Bangladesh can’t be treated
same as the developed countries. Developed countries have been able to enhance capacities
of their farmers with huge subsidies and technical support. They have become
industrial now. So, withdrawal of subsidy in developed countries and in
Bangladesh can’t have same impact.
Abdul Mazid
+8801711660474
Golam Sorowor +8801711951709
