Farmers to get Tk 800m incentives

Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque on Wednesday said the government will give over Tk 800 million as incentives to 687,700 small and marginal farmers for the Rabi season, reports UNB.

At a media briefing, he said 87,700 bighas of land will be covered by this incentive programme.

Nine crops included in the incentive programme are wheat, maize, mustard, sunflower, peanut, winter mung, onion, summer mung for the next Kharip-1 season and summer sesame. 

The initiative aims at increasing the cultivation area of these crops, their yield, the production of whole grain and pulses, oil and spice and reduce the loss of farmers due to natural causes, the minister said.

Out of 687,700 farmers, 75,000 will receive incentive for wheat cultivation, 250,000 for maize, 240,000 for mustard, 4,000 for sunflower, 10,000 for peanut, 25,000 for summer sesame, 45,000 for winter mung, 30,000 for summer mung and 7,700 farmers for onion.

“Ensuring diversification of agricultural products and nutrition are major challenges and the main goal of the government. Altogether, 687,700 bighas or 91,745 hectares will be cultivatable once the programme is implemented,” Razzaque said.