Bangladesh Country Investment Plan - Feed the Future

2. Improve & increase efficiency of surface water irrigation, in particular in the South: There
is a strong call for nationwide conservation and utilization of surface water by
excavation/dredging of canals and river/water bodies with special attention to surface water
management in the South. There is also a call for improvement of drainage conditions, capacity
development of water users, and improvement of flood control measures.
3. Reduce impact of saline water intrusion in the South and enhance river water flow: The
focused activities that emerged from the consultations are: rehabilitation of polders and their
management; dredging of rivers; enhanced surface water irrigation; and improved brackish
water resource management practices.
Additional Considerations/ Implementation: Collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture
and Ministry of Water Resources is essential, with DAE, BWDB, LGED and BMDA as the
participating institutes. Involvement of farmer organizations and stakeholders from the private
sector on farm level water management will also be key. Additionally, updated feasibility studies
are required to assess the various technical options related to surface irrigation, river dredging and
flood control. This should be accompanied by a solid economic and financial analysis to avoid uneconomic
investments. Attention must also be given to planning irrigation development in an
integrated way at national level.
Programme 3: Improved Quality of Inputs and Soil Fertility
Expected Aggregate Output: Access to quality inputs is improved and soil fertility is enhanced
Priorities from the Consultation Process/ Current Challenges: A top priority that arose from the
consultations is to ensure a stable supply of good quality, environmentally friendly agricultural
inputs. This was a unanimous high priority of all groups of stakeholders consulted. There is a
strong need for quality control, certification and accountability of inputs and providers as well as
a strengthened regulatory system. Current challenges are inadequate capacity, of DAE, BADC,
Seed Certification Agency (SCA), DLS, DOF, BCIC, Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute,
as well as the private sector, to meet the growing demand for quality inputs. Inadequate
laboratory facilities for quality testing and monitoring, as well as a weak regulatory system to
prevent input adulteration, are also key concerns.
The question of inputs links directly to another issue that arose— soil fertility and land
management. These important environmental questions are key to ensuring the sustainability of
agricultural production in Bangladesh. Declining soil fertility in Bangladesh is resulting in micro
nutrient deficiency in the soil. There is a strong need to promote balanced fertilizer use for
different crops and cropping patterns over diversified agro-ecological regions of the country.
Proposed Focus and Priority Interventions (Sub-outputs):
1. Enhance availability of agricultural inputs, tested and certified for quality, of diversified
crops: The proposed priority interventions are: expansion of both seed multiplication and
processing farms and preservation facilities of BADC, NARS, DAE, DLS and contract
growers; capacity development of public laboratories and SCA for testing quality of inputs;
strengthening participation of NGOs and private sector in seed distribution as the role of
private sector in the provision of quality seeds and other inputs has increased over past years;
capacity development of farmers for autonomous production of quality seeds; and
establishment of mechanisms to ensure availability and reasonable prices of all quality and
environmentally friendly agricultural inputs (i.e. seeds, planting materials, fertilizers, pest
management, feeds, chicks, fingerlings, semen, broods, and veterinary drugs and vaccines).
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