FE Report

The government should dump donors-driven poverty reduction strategic paper (PRSP) as quickly as possible and adopt a five-year plan to cut the number of poor in the country, former Bangladesh Bank (BB) governor Dr Mohammad Farashuddin said Thursday.

"The government should form a commission to formulate a five-year plan," he said while speaking at a discussion meeting in the city.

The former governor said there is no alternative to farmers' cooperative societies, as they are not getting fair price of their production because of the middlemen. "Loan at easy conditions should be made available for them."

He said more warehouses should be built across the country so that farmers can store their paddy and rice there and sell those whenever they want.

Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad (BUP) and Campaign for United Nations Millennium Development Goals jointly organised the programme at the National Press Club.

BUP chairman Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, who presided over the meeting, said: "The poor is becoming poorer, and the poorer is becoming extreme poorer because of various natural calamities.

"The depth of the poverty has increased over the years. More people are gradually falling in the poverty trap. So the government has to address the issue to fulfil its millennium development goals (MDGs)."

"Economic growth at the rate of eight to 10 per cent is a must to accelerate poverty reduction efforts. There should be emphasis on agriculture and employment generation to do that."

Dr Khandakar Azharul Huq, former managing director of WASA, said the farmers are not fully getting the government-provided subsidy on agriculture because of the middlemen.

"The middlemen are having the lion share of the subsidy. Effective steps should be taken so that the assistance reach properly to the farmers."

Columnist Syed Abul Moksud said: "We have to cut corruption, bureaucratic red-tapism and wastage to reach our poverty reduction target."