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FIVE YEAR PLAN AND WATER
CHAPTER XIII: AGRICULTURE WATER RESOURCES AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Agriculture
13.1 Introduction
13.1.1 Agriculture
plays a vital role in the growth and stability of the country’s
economy as is indicated by its share in GDP, employment and
export earnings. At present, it accounts for about one-third of
GDP and employs about two-thirds of the labour force. Exports of
agricultural primary products accounted for about 12 per cent of
total exports in 1996/97 and if exports of agriculture based
intermediate and industrial products (leather, jute) are taken
into account, its contribution comes to nearly 24 per cent. If
the newly emerged ready-made garments which contribute as much
as 51 per cent of export earnings is viewed in domestic value
added terms, agriculture is the main source of export earnings
of the country. Apart from these, the role of agriculture is
unique for food security and nutritional status of people.
However, as industrialisation proceeds, the output of
agriculture will represent a declining share of the gross output
of the economy while the share of manufacturing and services
sectors will increase. Although the contribution of agriculture
to the economy is likely to decline, it will continue to be the
single largest contributor to income and employment of the rural
population in the foreseeable future.
13.1.2 Crop
agriculture represented a share of about 24 per cent in total
GDP and about 73 per cent in agricultural GDP during 1996/97.
Within crop sub-sector, foodgrain, particularly the rice crop
dominated the country’s agricultural scenario in respect of both
cropped area and production claiming a share of 74 per cent and
54 per cent respectively in 1996/97. Thus, development of rice
crop has substantial impact on the sector’s performance. There
has, however, been shift in the composition of agriculture over
the past few years as indicated by gradual decline in the share
of crop agriculture and increase in the share of non-crop
agriculture (NCA) which consists of livestock, fisheries and
forestry. The NCA, particularly the livestock and fisheries,
have, of late, taken off largely through private sector
initiatives showing robust growth of 7.98 per cent and 8.60 per
cent respectively in 1996/97. Hence, it is envisaged in the Plan
to develop an integrated agriculture including crops, along with
food management, livestock, fisheries, forestry and environment
through more efficient utilisation of available land and water
resources for sustainable agricultural growth.
A. Crops
13.2 Review of Past
Performance
13.2.1 Bangladesh
made steady progress in crop agriculture in the
post-Independence period. The cropping intensity increased from
148 to 179 per cent and foodgrain production almost doubled
during the period from 1969/70 to 1992/93. Contributing about 75
per cent of the value added, crops form the largest sub-sector
of agriculture. Rice is the dominant crop and largely determines
the rate of progress in the agriculture sector and to a
significant extent, that of the non-agricultural sectors. It
covers about 75 per cent of the cropped area and accounts for
about 70 per cent of the value of crop output. In fact, the
entire growth in crop production is due to the growth in
foodgrain production, particularly rice. Yield of other
non-cereal crops such as pulses, oilseeds and vegetables almost
stagnated, while that of wheat did not increase markedly.
13.2.2 In 1993/94
and 1994/95, foodgrain production declined as a result of
depressed prices and natural disasters, particularly floods and
droughts in the north-west, which is the country’s surplus grain
production region. The average foodgrain production during these
two years dropped to 18.71 million metric ton (mt) from the
average of 19.31 million mt during the preceding three years
from 1990/91 to 1992/93. While drought conditions prevailed
during these years, the decline in rice production in 1993/94
also was due to both damages by floods and the farmers’ response
to the fall in the price of rice in the preceding year as
evidenced by more than 4 per cent decline in fertiliser
consumption, more than 2 per cent reduction in area sown and
similar decline in irrigation command area. In 1994/95, total
foodgrain production was only 18.17 million mt as against the
expected production of 20 million mt. This trend started
improving from 1995/96 with a foodgrain production of 19.14
million mt. The year 1996/97 witnessed an all time high
foodgrain production of about 20.43 million mt. Foodgrain
production, though continues to depend on the vagaries of
nature, increased substantially over the years, following the
introduction of high yielding varieties (HYV) and application of
modern inputs like fertilisers and pesticides; but its
dependence on weather continues resulting in fluctuations in
production. Wide fluctuations in production leads to large
instability in foodgrain prices having serious implications for
household food security and also for the welfare of the people.
13.2.3 Production
of jute fibre reached as high as 8.66 million bales in 1985/86.
The production level declined to 4.92 million bales in 1992/93
and hovered around this level since then. Sugarcane production
has remained more or less around 7.50 million mt since 1987/88.
Production of potatoes has shown a steady increase. It increased
from 0.89 million mt in 1975/76 to 1.47 million mt in 1994/95.
Other crops like pulses and oil seeds have shown only marginal
improvement nationwide. However, implementation of a crop
diversification programme (CDP) during 1990-95 in 125 thanas
gave promising results in terms of yield per hectare of maize,
pulses, oilseeds, potatoes, vegetables, etc.
13.2.4 As regards
performance of modern inputs, the irrigated area increased to
about 4.00 million hectares in 1996/97 from the level of 2.65
million hectares in 1990/91. Ground water irrigation covered
68.5 per cent of the total irrigated area while the surface
water irrigation was only 31.5 per cent in 1996/97. The ground
water irrigation witnessed significant expansion during the last
two decades. Use of chemical fertilisers increased from 2
million mt in 1990/91 to 3.02 million mt in 1995/96. Public
sector seed distribution (mainly rice and wheat) occupies only
about 5 per cent of the total requirements. The large part of
the seed requirement is met by the private sector.
13.2.5 The reforms
of the agriculture sector have been quite pronounced and
visible. For over a decade, a wide range of policy reforms have
been implemented in the agricultural sector. Few of these are
privatisation of input distribution, withdrawal of input and
food subsidy, import liberalisation and a broadening of the
scope of private investment in agriculture. In recent years, the
coverage of policy reforms in the agriculture sector has
substantially expanded to include minor irrigation equipment,
agricultural machinery, seeds and agricultural trade.
13.3 Fifth Five
Year Plan
13.3.1
Sustainability of high yield and environmental protection remain
the principal concern in recent years. Loss of soil fertility
followed by unbalanced use of chemical fertilisers, lack of
adequate quantity of water in some areas as well as their
appropriate conservation and management are the major factors
causing divergence between potential and actual output of major
agricultural commodities. Various studies indicate that the
yield potential of the existing HYVs of rice is more than 4 mt/ha,
whereas the average yield of most of the other varieties of rice
is around 2 mt/ha. Major tasks during the Fifth Five Year Plan
will be to address these issues. The specific objectives of the
Plan will be to:
a. increase
productivity and real income of farming families in rural
areas on a sustainable basis;
b. attain
self-sufficiency in foodgrain production along with increased
production of other nutritional crops;
c. encourage
export of agricultural commodities, particularly vegetables
and fruits keeping in view domestic production and need;
d. promote
adoption of modern agricultural practices in dry land, wetland
and coastal areas;
e. ensure
sustained agricultural growth through more efficient and
balanced utilisation of land, water and other resources; and
f. encourage
comparatively large farm to graduate into commercial farming.
13.3.2 Policies and
Strategies : In order to achieve the objectives, the
strategies/policies will be evolved and adopted to bring about
necessary technical change. The following will be the specific
policies and strategies:
a. improvement of
the quality of seeds, particularly HYV and hybrid seeds and
increasing their quantity;
b. development of
modern, irrigated and least-risk agriculture with greater
reliance on competitive markets through supply of agricultural
inputs at low cost; making public investment more effective
and keeping it limited to key areas as required to supplement
private initiatives;
c. strengthening
of the agricultural research and extension systems in order to
develop new technologies relating to crop varieties,
integrated farming system, organic farming, improved agronomic
and agro-processing technologies, and for diffusion of the
proven technologies;
d. development
and dissemination of ecologically sound and sustainable
technologies such as integrated pest management (IPM)
techniques, and organic and bio-fertiliser use;
e. increasing
profitable production of minor crops and thereby maintaining a
balanced crop production and improving the nutritional status
of the people;
f. development of
suitable technologies in rain-fed, dry land and wetland
farming system to enhance the productivity;
g.
restoration/improvement of soil fertility through better
management of the organic matter of soil to improve yields of
crops; towards this end, production and use of bio-manure will
be encouraged;
h. assistance to
small and marginal farmers in forming groups and associations
which can (i) enhance production and productivity, (ii)
sustain agro-business enterprises on their own, (iii) absorb
more credit fund and (iv) adopt/disseminate technologies;
i. participation
of NGOs in the agricultural development process;
j. improvement
and conservation of plant and genetic resources through
collection and conservation of germ plasm;
k. facilitation
of access to markets and the promotion of efficient marketing
system;
l. formulation of
integrated land use policy conducive to optimum use of
agricultural resources;
m. implementation
of measures to cushion and minimise the damage to agriculture
and rural economy brought about by natural calamities;
n. development of
the capabilities of rural women and the youth to contribute
more to agricultural and rural development;
o. restructuring
of the existing institutional set-up to cope with the changed
need;
p. development of
human resources through education, training and motivation;
q. development
and dissemination of appropriate location-specific and
cost-reducing production and post-harvest technologies for
reduction of post-harvest losses and the removal of transport
bottlenecks; and
r. adoption of
policies and regulations that will ensure sustainable
agricultural development;
CHAPTER XIX : PHYSICAL PLANNING WATER SUPPLY AND HOUSING
19.1 Introduction
19.1.1 The overall
growth of population along with rapid urbanisation during the
last two decades and a half caused a high pressure on the
limited land of the country. It also created a number of
problems in the areas of environment, housing, water supply and
sanitation. Decentralisation of administration and development
of local government institutions also created enhanced demand
for physical infrastructures and other utility services at the
district, thana, union and pourashava levels. In addition,
development of facilities to cater for the increasing
recreational needs of the citizens and to promote tourism also
demands further development of infrastructure. Construction of
low-cost housing both in the rural and the urban areas, and
multi-storied houses and office buildings in the urban areas is
undertaken to improve the living and working conditions of the
people. All these changes call for an appropriate planning for
land-use both in the rural and urban areas to systematically
provide necessary physical infrastructures, utility services and
housing. Moreover, the continuous migration of the rural poor to
the urban areas, particularly to the metropolitan cities of
Dhaka, Chittagong and Khulna for jobs has given rise to slums
and squatters and created problems of transportation and
environmental degradation. Emphasis is to be given to combat
environmental degradation by building adequate sewerage and
sanitation facilities, arranging safe disposal of solid waste
and controlling air and water pollution from industries and
vehicles. Besides, improvements in city road networks are to be
made to reduce traffic jam. Improvement of the quality of life
and living conditions of the slum dwellers needs to be attended
to through resettlement based on adequate physical facilities
and utility services. To meet the growing challenge of
urbanisation, an urban development strategy along with land-use
plan needs to be adopted during the Plan period.
19.1.2 There is
virtually no land-use plan for the rural areas of the country,
which comprises about 85 per cent of the total land area. The
present facilities in respect of physical infrastructures,
housing, water supply, sanitation, etc., are very inadequate.
Housing shortage in the country in 1991 was estimated to be 3.1
million units, out of which 2.15 million units were in the rural
areas. It was projected that this shortage might exceed 5
million units by the end of the century if the current trend
continued. Even in the public sector, less than 10 per cent of
the employees get residential accommodation. Most of the
remaining employees live in rented houses under financial
hardship and lack of adequate physical facilities. About
one-third of the urban people live in slums or as squatters in
most unhygeinic condition. The piped-water supply in Dhaka city,
Chittagong city and district towns hardly covers 65, 50 and 51
per cent of the population respectively. In thanas and
pourashavas, this coverage of water supply hardly exceeds 5 per
cent. Presently, there is only 1 tube-well for every 105 persons
to supply drinking water in the rural areas. The sanitation
coverage in the rural areas is only 36 per cent of population;
even in Dhaka city the sewerage system covers only 35 percent of
population. In spite of high potential , the state of tourism in
Bangladesh is yet in its infancy due to lack of physical
facilities. The main thrust of the Fifth Five Year Plan will,
therefore, be to improve the quality of life and living
conditions of the people and their working environment by
providing adequate physical infrastructures and other services.
19.1.3 The physical
planning, water supply and housing sector covers the following
activities that are being implemented by a number of agencies
under 12 ministries/divisions.
a. Preparation of
land -use master plan for the urban centres and the rural
areas;
b. Provision of
housing for government personnel and development of satellite
towns for different income groups living in urban areas;
c. Provision of
low cost rural housing;
d. Resettlement
of slum dwellers and squatters;
e. Delivery of
basic services to the slum dwellers;
f. Provision of
safe drinking water, sewerage and sanitation facilities both
in urban and rural areas;
g. Construction
of government offices and institutional and residential
buildings at administrative centres and important places;
h. Development of
basic infrastructures and services at zilla, thana, union and
village levels;
i. Combating
environmental degradation and controlling air and water
pollution;
j. Development of
road networks in the metropolitan cities to reduce traffic
jam;
k. Development of
tourism and recreational facilities; and
l. Research and
Development in the field of building materials and
construction.
19.2 Review of
Performance of Past Plans
19.2.1 Performance
during 1973-90
a. Financial
performance: The plan-wise total allocation and expenditure in
the public sector is given in Table 19.1.
Table 19.1: Public
Sector Allocations and Expenditures During 1973-90 for Physical
Planning Water Supply and Housing
(in million Taka)
|
Plans |
Allocation
(at base year prices of respective Plan) |
Relative Share of Sector (%) |
Expenditure
(at current prices) |
|
First Plan
(1973-78) |
272.00 |
5.81 |
270.00 |
|
Two Year Plan
(1978-80) |
250.00 |
7.80 |
241.00 |
|
Second Plan
(1980-85) |
1,139.00 |
5.20 |
1,158.00 |
|
Third Plan
(1985-90) |
1,622.00 |
2.20 |
1,556.00 |
b. Physical
performance (1973-90)
i. During the
period, land-use master plans for 398 thana headquarters and
master plans for 60 district towns were undertaken. Office
accommodations at 44 district and thana head quarters were
completed and 13,918 service plots were distributed among people
belonging to low income group and about 6,860 squatter families
were rehabilitated. Besides, 17,480 flats, 252 dormitories at
thana level, 1,065 office buildings, 2,033 union tahsil offices
and 362 thana land offices were constructed. The landmarks in
development of this period were the constructions of the
twenty-storied office building at the secretariat, Dhaka, the
International Conference Centre at old Sangsad Bhaban, the
Monument for the Martyrs of the Liberation War at Savar, the
National Monument at Mujibnagar and the Osmani Memorial Hall at
Fulbaria.
ii. In case of
rural water supply, following the policies initiated by the
government in 1973, the coverage was raised to 125 persons per
tube-well in June 1990 from
238 persons per
tube-well in June 1973. A total of 918,125 water- sealed
latrines were distributed. This together with the home-made
latrines made it possible to cover 11 per cent of the population
under sanitation programmes.
iii. Water supply
in Dhaka city rose to 546 million litres per day (MLD) in June
1990 from 182 MLD in June 1973, covering 50 per cent of the
total city population as against 25 per cent in 1973. The
sanitation coverage in Dhaka city through sewerage connection
stood at 25 per cent in June 1990 compared with only 10 per cent
in 1973. The water supply in Chittagong city increased to 136
MLD in June 1990 covering 45 per cent of the total city
population as against 68 MLD and a coverage of 30 per cent in
1973. The total water supply capacity in the district towns was
raised to 250 MLD covering 41 per cent of the total town
population by June 1990 as against only 27 MLD of water supply
and coverage of only 10 per cent in 1973.
19.2.2 Performance
during fourth five year plan (1990-95)
a. Financial
performance: In the Fourth Plan, Tk. 18,420.00 million (at
1989/90 prices) was allocated to this sector which was 5.31 per
cent of the total public sector allocation. At the end of the
Plan period, total expenditure stood at Tk. 20,940.00 million at
current prices. This expenditure also included expenditure of
the National Implementation Committee for Administrative Reforms
(NICAR) and Flood Action Plan (FAP) for water supply and
sanitation and construction of 3,080 houses for public servants
in Dhaka city.
b. Physical
performance : The land-use master plans for 398 thanas and 60
district towns were completed. Preparation of master plans for
Dhaka and Chittagong cities was initiated. The National Housing
Policy was approved in 1993. Improvement of the physical
infrastructures for the secondary district towns were carried
out.
19.2.3 Housing
a. Core houses
for 1,000 squatter families at Dattapara, Tongi were provided
and 5,000 residential plots at Mirpur and 4,100 plots at
Kaibalyadham, Chittagong, were developed and allotted to
people of low income group;
b. 3,000
residential flats in 44 newly created districts and 3,000
flats in Dhaka were constructed for the public employees;
c. RAJUK
developed and provided 4,787 plots at Uttara;
d. Construction
of 44 new circuit houses was initiated. A new Dhaka district
court building was constructed. A new circuit house at
Chittagong was built and the old one turned into a museum;
e. The Prime
Minister's Secretariat at Tejgaon was renovated and a
four-channel conference system was installed;
f. Private
enterprise made a significant stride to develop housing in
urban areas; and
g. Some NGOs
undertook low cost housing programmes for the poor in the
rural areas.
19.2.4 Water supply
and sanitation
a. Water supply and
sanitation in rural areas: At the end of the Plan period, water
supply facilities in the rural areas figured at one hand
tube-well for 107 persons compared with 125 persons in 1990. As
a result of joint efforts of the government and NGOs ,
sanitation coverage in the rural Bangladesh went up to 36 per
cent (including home- made latrines) by the terminal year of the
Fourth Plan from 11 per cent in 1990.
b. Water supply and
sanitation in urban areas :
i. Water supply
and sanitation in Pourashavas and Thanas: During the Plan
period, 96 production wells, 303 km of pipe line, 7 water
treatment plants, 13 overhead tanks and 52 km of drains were
constructed, while 6,074 house connections were given in
pourashavas and thanas. Against a target of 477 MLD water
supply the achievement was 296 MLD. A total of 19,828 pit
latrines were installed against the target of 25,000.
ii. Water supply
and sanitation in Dhaka and Chittagong cities: During the
Fourth Plan 67 DTWs were installed in Dhaka city. Besides, 266
km of water pipe lines, 39 km of sewerage lines and 47 km of
storm sewer lines were constructed and a supply of 1,023 MLD
water supply was achieved. On the whole, 65 per cent of the
population was covered with piped water supply, 35 per cent
with sewer facilities and 25 per cent with storm - sewer
facilities at the end of the Fourth Plan. The total water
supply capacity of Chittagong city increased from 136 MLD in
1990 to 159 MLD in 1995 covering 52 per cent of the population
. Besides, the Mohra water treatment plant was planned to be
modernised.
iii. Tourism:
Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation drew up a master plan for
development of tourism. Efforts were made to operate the
tourism facilities on a commercial basis. A National Tourism
Training Institute was established at a cost of Tk. 120.00
million.
iv. Fire Service
Police Service and environmental projects: Rajarbag police
hospital and Sarda Police Training Academy were modernised and
expanded. Two projects were implemented for environmental
improvement of Dhaka and Chittagong metropolitan areas. The
Housing and Settlement Directorate, Dhaka City corporation,
Dhaka WASA and the Environment Directorate implemented the
package programme under the Dhaka Urban Infrastructure
Improvement project (DUIP) at Mirpur at a cost of Tk. 900.00
million.
v. Construction
of other infrastructures: Construction of office building for
the Department of Immigration and Passports at Dhaka was
initiated during this period. The construction and repair of
union tahsil offices and thana land offices were taken up. The
Court Building in Dhaka was completed and residential houses
for Judges in Dhaka, Khulna, Barisal, Rajshahi and Chittagong
were constructed.
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