Boosting crop production
Tofiqur Rahman, Oklahomau
We can bring about a revolution in boosting crop production, particularly rice and other important crops in our country. First, we need a large commercial scale cultivable land to grow the crops. To achieve that I think a group of farmers who own land in important areas known to us should be given a chance to lease out their land to the government for a year or so. If the government could invest on or purchase technology, such as auto-machineries, bio-sensors, GM crops, hybrid rice technology and apply it on to the leased land, it could yield high grain per unit land in a short time and thereby increase profit and reduce food scarcity, and at the same time it could pay the farmers for their lease. There should be a survey prior to such commercial production. Even though it sounds unrealistic, the government with new technology and its professionals could train the farmers to learn the new farming methods on those leased lands concurrently. This way upon expiry of the lease the farmers could adapt to the new knowledge. But where would they get the machineries? The government could buy them from the countries like the US. These are expensive, but will be very useful.The government could perhaps even try to take land on lease from other countries and use it for commercial production of crops. Myanmar is one country that might like the new idea. This way when the winter arrives, we won't have to worry about supply of rice. I would like the agriculture ministry to consider this idea. The GDP of our country is largely dependent on agriculture. If we cannot accelerate the current pace of production, the population growth and natural disasters would threaten us with famine in the near future.
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