Prime Minister Tarique Rahman directed the ministries to formulate special 180-day action plans at the very first cabinet meeting to implement the pledges made ahead of the national election. Following directives from the head of government, the ministries of agriculture, fisheries and livestock, and food have instructed their subordinate departments and offices to set priorities. The departments have already submitted their reports. Officials at the ministry and department levels said the Ministry of Agriculture is placing emphasis on extending support to farmers through agricultural cards, promoting sustainable farming, reducing production costs, ensuring safe food, and increasing productivity.
Although the ousted Awami League government claimed food self-sufficiency, in reality, Bangladesh has had to import significant volumes of food grains, edible oil, pulses, spices, and other agricultural commodities each year. At the same time, agricultural land has been shrinking, and much of it is losing productivity. As a result, farmers’ production costs are rising, yet they are not receiving fair prices for their produce, while consumer-level inflation remains high. Most fertilisers, pesticides, seeds, and agricultural machinery are still import-dependent, and the adoption of modern technology in agriculture has not increased at the expected pace.
Analysts say three objectives — reducing import dependence to achieve genuine self-sufficiency, lowering farmers’ production costs, and boosting overall productivity while ensuring safe food — have emerged as the most pressing policy challenges for the new government. They have advised formulating and effectively implementing integrated, realistic action plans to meet these goals.
Bangladesh spends billions of dollars annually on food and consumer goods imports. According to the Bangladesh Bank, the country imported rice and wheat worth about $2.31 billion in FY 2024–25, up 12.1 percent from the previous year. Imports of consumer goods — including milk and dairy products, spices, edible oil, pulses, and sugar — amounted to $5.68 billion. During the same period, oilseeds worth $1.08 billion and fertiliser worth $2.62 billion were imported. In the first six months (July–December) of FY 2025–26 alone, import expenditure on rice, wheat, spices, edible oil, pulses, sugar, milk, and dairy products, oilseeds, and fertiliser stood at $6.51 billion. Over the past decade (FY 2015–16 to FY 2024–25), rice and wheat imports amounted to around BDT 1.72 trillion, including BDT 374.01 billion for rice and around BDT 1.34 trillion for wheat.
Sector insiders say Bangladesh imports 6–7 million tonnes of rice and wheat annually. Around 90 percent of edible oil and 60–70 percent of pulses are imported. Spices such as onion and garlic are also brought in from abroad. The country has achieved self-sufficiency only in potatoes. Reducing this substantial import burden through increased domestic production remains a major challenge for the new government.
Bangladesh Bank data show that between FY 2015–16 and FY 2024–25, spice imports totalled nearly BDT 330 billion. Oilseed imports were worth about BDT 895 billion, while edible oil imports exceeded BDT 1.88 trillion. Over the same period, pulses worth BDT 595 billion and sugar worth BDT 827.78 billion were imported.
Agricultural economist Dr Jahangir Alam told Bonik Barta, “The government’s biggest challenge is food inflation. To tackle it, production must be increased. That requires proper planning. The agricultural card initiative is a good step, but issuing cards alone isn’t enough; they must be effectively utilised. Farmers need direct cash support. Investment and subsidies in the sector need to be increased. The agriculture sector had deteriorated during the interim government’s tenure. For the past 54 years, agricultural growth has been above 3 percent. In FY 2024–25, it fell to 1.79 percent. Lower production has reduced domestic supply, necessitating food imports. To reduce import dependence, an import-substitution policy in agriculture must be adopted.”
Emphasising the need to boost food production, he added, “It’s not just rice — fish, meat, eggs, milk, and forest resources, particularly fruits, must also receive priority. The recent surge in food inflation is primarily due to lower production and supply. Our food inflation is among the highest globally and has remained elevated for four consecutive years. According to the World Bank’s food index, Bangladesh has been red-listed for food insecurity for four years. In this context, production in non-crop agriculture — fish, meat, eggs, livestock, poultry, and forest resources — must also be increased.”
Seed is one of the fundamental inputs in agriculture, yet a significant portion remains import-dependent. More than 70 percent of jute seed, around 90 percent of maize seed, 60 percent of vegetable seed, 20 percent of hybrid rice seed, and over 80 percent of oilseed and spice seed are imported. Only 20 percent of domestic demand for urea fertiliser is met through local production, with the remainder imported. Nearly 90 percent of pesticides are also brought in from abroad. Analysts say this heavy reliance on imports is raising production costs and poses a major challenge for the new government.
Consumers suffered from high vegetable prices last season, while potato farmers faced prolonged distress throughout the year. To protect farmers, the interim government fixed the procurement price of potatoes at BDT 22 per kg at cold storage gates. However, farmers received no more than BDT 8-15 per kg. According to the Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAE), farmers’ costs — from production to cold storage rent — range between BDT 18 and BDT 25 per kg. Bangladesh also lags in per-hectare yield. Alongside lower productivity, there are complaints that farmers do not receive fair prices. Paddy remains the most widely produced crop in the country. However, various studies show that, compared to other crops, profit margins in rice cultivation are relatively low, in line with the production costs. In the case of Boro paddy, farmers often fail to recover their production costs.
Professor AHM Saiful Islam of the Department of Agricultural Economics at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) told Bonik Barta, “Ensuring a smooth supply of agricultural inputs should be a top priority for the government. As the Boro season is underway, farmers must have uninterrupted access to fertiliser, pesticides, water, and electricity. Subsidies need to be increased and initiatives taken to reduce production costs for farmers. Research indicates that profit margins in Boro rice cultivation are negative. Practical plans are required to prevent farmers from abandoning cultivation.”
He added, “Farmers don’t receive fair prices, yet market prices remain high. Middlemen and unscrupulous traders are exploiting the situation. This cycle must be broken. The government should consider fixing prices for farmers’ produce and providing them with direct cash support.”
DAE works directly with farmers at the field level. Asked about priority areas in the new government’s 180-day plan, Director General Md Abdur Rahim told Bonik Barta, “In line with ministry directives, we’re identifying priority issues. We’re focusing on increasing production through balanced use of chemicals while preserving soil health, reducing farmers’ costs, and achieving self-sufficiency in products such as pulses that require imports. We’re also prioritising expanding domestic production of seeds for products like onions to reduce import dependence.” He added that a committee has begun further review to finalise priorities.
The fisheries and livestock sectors also face multifaceted challenges, including the impacts of climate change, cyclones and rising salinity, shrinking natural water bodies, shortages of quality fry, feed shortages and high feed prices, disease outbreaks, misuse of antibiotics, limited adoption of modern technology, and inadequate cold chain and storage infrastructure. The presence of heavy metals in river and marine fish and in broiler meat has also been detected, intensifying concerns over food safety.
Dr Md Abu Sufian, acting director general of the Department of Livestock Services, told Bonik Barta, “We’ve submitted our priority areas to the ministry. Within the next 180 days, 180 million doses of vaccines will be administered to livestock, animals, and poultry at the grassroots level. We’re prioritising productivity and food safety. Training for farmers and awareness campaigns at the field level have been proposed as key measures.”
Similarly, Dr Md Abdur Rouf, director general of the Department of Fisheries, said, “Plans have been submitted in line with the government’s election manifesto. Once approved by the ministry, implementation will begin at the field level.”
On the overall strategy, Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock, and Food Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid told Bonik Barta, “The prime minister’s announced agricultural card initiative is under active consideration. Work is ongoing to identify priority sectors and formulate action plans in agriculture.”