Suchergebnisse

Food subsidy is an important element of public policies in Bangladesh. Direct public intervention in foodgrain distribution, now being practiced in Bangladesh, can be traced back to its origin in the 1941-44 wartime food policies of the government of British India in general and of the government of Bengal in particular. War-related disruption in the internal marketing structure, public spending, short supplies, and panic all combined to cause a spiraling of food prices (Sen, 1981). In the wake of impending famine, the government initially reacted by setting maximum prices and coordinating movement of supplies from surplus to deficit areas through private marketing channels. ; PR ; IFPRI1 ; DGO

Public intervention in foodgrain markets is pervasive in most developing countries. Governments procure foodgrains from farmers, import and export, distribute to consumers, set procurement and distribution prices, strive to maintain floor and ceiling prices in markets, and regulate private trade. In doing so they often alter the structure of incentives in the markets. Current debate on market intervention, however, has resulted in a trend towards liberalization of control and regulation in markets of many countries. An important issue is whether or not undesirable changes in incentives can be minimized through improved operation of public and private markets or whether alternative policies for ensuring higher incentives to producers and lower prices to consumers can be devised through, for example, infrastructural development. ; PR ; IFPRI1

After reviewing the rationale of price stabilization, the author establishes the importance of price stabilization for food security, traces the nature and extent of fluctuations in rice prices and develops an approach to stabilize rice prices in Bangladesch. It is shown that the extent of annual price variability has increased somewhat in the post-technology period (1976-84) compared to pre-technology period (1960-70). (DÜI-Sen)

Bangladesh is one of the most impoverished countries in the world. Agriculture remains the primary source of income for about 60 percent of the population. Agricultural growth therefore holds the key to the nation's pervasive poverty. So formidable are resource limitations, the climatic and environmental conditions, and the complexity of the country's agricultural institutions that the pace of agricultural growth rests heavily on gains in productivity, especially those gains arising from research and development. Bangladesh's achievements in agriculture and rural development have been significant since independence in 1971, and research and development have played a vital role in this achievement. This chapter focuses on the evolution of research policies and institutions, the priority given to agricultural research in resource allocation, the impact of agricultural research on productivity, and a vision for the future role of research. ; PR ; IFPRI1; Pro-poor science and technology policies; Public Policy and Investment ; ISNAR

As recommended by the Agricultural Commission of 1960, the East Pakistan Agricultural Development Corporation was established in 1963. Later known as the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), this public parastatal was responsible for procuring and distributing agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, seeds, agricultural equipment, and pesticides (Ahmed 1978a). BADC soon developed an elaborate national organization for delivering goods and services to farmers, establishing a virtual monopoly over fertilizer and agricultural equipment markets while conforming to government pricing and related policies. The corporation has since been replaced by liberalized and deregulated input markets. This chapter chronicles the process of liberalization, examines its impact, and draws lessons from the change. ; PR ; IFPRI1; MP-01; Disaster Prevention and Recovery ; MTID

Infrastructure is the central element of a rural growth strategy. Its effects are positive and profound and lead to higher crop output and household income. Wage incomes for the landless almost double. This is the result of research in Bangladesh. (DSE)

IFPRI4 ; Non-PR ; p. 104-118 : ill., tables ; 28 cm.

IFPRI5 ; PHND ; PR ; xxvi, 389 p. ; 22 cm.

The public expects a responsible government to foster growth to provide greater income and well-being in the future, equity to provide a fair society and social cohesion, and stability to reduce the tensions of uncertainty and the likelihood of a sharp reduction in consumption or destruction of the means of livelihood. Growth, equity, and stability are themselves interrelated, and agricultural price policy has a potentially major and often conflicting effect on each. ; PR ; IFPRI1

Determination of agricultural prices is intensely political because of its profound influence on equity, income distribution, consumption, production, and economic development. Thus agricultural price policy occupies a major place in political debate, the deliberations of government bureaucracies, and the decisions made by consumers and producers. This is so in both high-income countries, where food and agriculture represent a small part of aggregate income but are still important in consumption and politics, and in low-income countries, where they are central to the political and economic processes. ; PR ; IFPRI1