Published in Dhaka Tribune on Sunday, 22 June 2014.
View more on the Bangladesh Economists’ Forum (BEF)
Muhith for serious efforts on land use to improve productivity
Tribune Report
“Plan for the best use of land is important at the upazila level. The land management is so poor in Bangladesh. I think, we should work seriously regarding this”
Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday put emphasis on best use of land for increasing the productivity.
“Plan for the best use of land is important at the upazila level. The land management is so poor in Bangladesh. I think, we should work seriously regarding this,” Muhith said, opening the two-day conference of Bangladesh Economists’ Forum (BEF) at a city hotel.
More than 500 economists, researchers, experts, policymakers and journalists are taking part at the conference to discuss a series of issues relating to growth, macro and financial policies, fiscal policy and capital markets, trade, aid and infrastructure, poverty reduction, human development, sustainable development and public policy-making and institutions.
Muhith said Bangladesh is a land of impossible attainment as it moves up despite many impediments. “You will be successful here in every filed as the people is capable despite many impediments.”
He admitted the fact that political instability and infrastructure bottlenecks were the barriers for boosting the economic growth. “Bangladesh is facing serious infrastructure deficit. We need huge infrastructure development,” he said. Reiterating to revive the private investment, the finance minister said the government is focusing to encourage the private investment for meaningful growth.
Chairman of Centre for Policy Dialogue Rehman Sobhan emphasised the need for political stability for faster economic growth. “It can be division in politics, but in economy there should be no division among the political parties.”
While presenting the keynote paper titled “Farming, fertility, food: why has Bangladesh done better than expected? Can it continue to do so?” Professor at University of Sussex Michael Lipton called for redistributing farmland for effective use of land.
“Top 5% own 26% land, but their farm size average only 5.3 acres! Its reform may be counterproductive unless ownership ceiling is enforced,” he said.
He said Bangladesh is doing well in its economic arena especially in farming, fertility and food sector, and it would continue this trend in future.
Lipton said Bangladesh has reduced poverty, gender discrimination, ensured food security and done well in the health and education sectors from 1990 to 2014.
“This success is better in comparison with India,” he added. He hoped that Bangladesh would continue to make successes by reducing political violence and arrange dialogue about forming policy.