The life of almost every family in Bangladesh is bound up with agriculture, as are food security, the rural economy and the jobs of millions. Yet the farmer who shoulders the country's food risks has always been neglected when it comes to fair prices for his crops, timely quality fertiliser and pesticide, reliable irrigation, and easy farm credit and crop insurance.

Farmers have always expected from government the right to easy farm loans, crop insurance to protect their harvests and dignified institutional recognition of their profession.

Agriculture now stands at a point where producing is no longer enough. Countries large and small are thinking about farming, and both farm production and agro-industry are seen as centres of future world trade. Where does Bangladesh stand, and how will farmers get fair prices?

The Hridoye Mati O Manush report reviews the government's first 180 days in agriculture, covering:

• farmers' complaints and demands in the field;
• the need for crop insurance, current initiatives and its potential in the face of climate change;
• a detailed look at the 180-day programme, including farm loan waivers that benefited 1.2 million farmers;
• the farmer card, its benefits and problems, with the Prime Minister's interview on plans for it;
• canal excavation and water management, with lessons from the Netherlands and Vietnam, and targets and achievements;
• tree planting and other initiatives, challenges and ways forward.

The report concludes with the hope that farmers' fair income will be ensured.

Source: Shykh Seraj, Hridoye Mati O Manush. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.