Agricultural mechanization in Bangladesh
Agricultural mechanization plays a key role in increasing agricultural productivity. In Bangladesh, where agriculture is the backbone of the economy and employs more than half of the labor force, the adoption of mechanization can significantly enhance the sector’s efficiency and productivity. Additionally, it can help smallholder farmers overcome challenges associated with labor scarcity, high labor costs, and low access to credit. Therefore, promoting agricultural mechanization can be a step in the right direction for achieving food security, reducing poverty, and improving rural livelihoods in Bangladesh.
Insights from farmers and agricultural extension officials
With this context, IFPRI researchers under the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded Climate Change x Agriculture investment visited Tangail district, Dhaka division to explore opportunities and challenges related to agricultural mechanization in this region. During this visit, IFPRI researchers met with agriculture extension officials and farmers. These field-level conversations provided useful insights on agricultural mechanization, which are reflected below.
Through the project, "Farm Mechanization through Integrated Management," the Bangladesh Government offers farmers subsidies to purchase farm machinery like tractors, combined harvesters, seeders, power threshers, and potato chip makers.
To access the subsidies, a farmer must apply at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) office. Thereafter, the DAE reviews the application and may recommend the application to the national-level project team, who will then decide how many of the applications will be granted. The amount of subsidy varies from machine to machine and from area to area, with farmers in Haor areas receiving 70% subsidy and others receiving 50%.
The demand for these agricultural machineries depends on the size of the farm, with mainly large and medium-scale farmers having greater demand. Smallholder farmers and female farmers with large farms also have a demand for these machines. Interestingly, per a sub agricultural extension officer female farmers tend to apply for agricultural machineries when their husband is away from home or if he has passed away. Overall, as large and heavy machines have some limitations, smallholder and marginal farmers do not prefer to use these due to their high cost. Generally, smallholder farmers prefer power tillers, thresher machines, rice cutters, and other machines, which cost around BDT 60,000-70,000.
Although the government prioritizes farmers’ groups for giving subsidies for agricultural mechanization farmers do not tend to opt for groups as the individual ability to pay varies, timing, decision-making, etc.
During the visit, other shortcomings with agricultural mechanization were mentioned. Specifically, the arrangement between farmers and irrigation service providers is unfavorable, with farmers having to give one-fourth of their production to the service providers to avail the irrigation services, which is very costly for marginal and smallholder farmers.
IFPRI researchers interviewed a 34-year-old male farmer who cultivates ginger, banana, paddy, and poultry, as well as grows wheat for self-consumption. The only machinery he uses is a spray machine for pesticide, which he bought for BDT 1,300. He uses laborers to cultivate his paddy field, and the cost of laborers has gone up due to many of them migrating out of the country for work. Additionally, agricultural machines are not readily available, and the cost of the service is high. The farmer lamented,
“Last year, the cost of land preparation to produce paddy using a small power tiller was BDT 2,200 per 56 decimals, yet this year, it is nearly Tk 2,500-2,800 as the fuel price has increased a lot. The production cost is increasing every day.”
The farmer also mentioned his lack of enthusiasm for big agricultural machineries after witnessing a 10% loss of paddy in the fields while harvesting with a government-provided harvester machine a few years ago.
The experience of this farmer, who not only saw a 13-27% increase in his production costs but also previously tried large agricultural machineries and suffered a loss as a result, reflects the challenges faced by many farmers in an increasingly uncertain agricultural landscape, particularly smallholder farmers. Overall, there is a pressing need to improve access to agricultural mechanization that works well for farmers.
For more information about the Climate Change x Agriculture investment, please visit the official project page.
Photo credit: Syed Zakir Hossain/Dhaka Tribune