Agriculture is the mainstay of Bangladesh economy. It plays important role to the growth and deve... more Agriculture is the mainstay of Bangladesh economy. It plays important role to the growth and development of the economy of the country. Most of the farmers of Bangladesh are marginal and small farmers. They consume most part of their produced commodities. The market participation rate of them with surplus production is very low. Therefore, the main objective of the present study is to estimate the level of commercialization of smallholder farmers. The study also examines the welfare outcomes of commercialization of these farmers. This study is mainly based on primary data that are collected from Durgapur Upazila of Rajshahi District of Bangladesh. The required data have been collected from 100 smallholder farmers in the study area. A multi-stage random sampling technique is applied to select the sample farmers. The present study uses household commercialization index to estimate the level of commercialization of smallholder farmers. It also applies one-way ANOVA analysis to examine ...
In Bangladesh, farmers apply chemical fertilizer in agricultural production for obtaining higher ... more In Bangladesh, farmers apply chemical fertilizer in agricultural production for obtaining higher crop yield. However, they often apply excessive amounts of chemical fertilizers compared to the doses as per the fertilizer recommendation guidelines of Bangladesh. Therefore, this study aims to measure the actual doses of different chemical fertilizers that are applied by the farmers in Northern Bangladesh. Moreover, the study tries to identify the factors that affect the decision of the farmers to apply chemical fertilizers in excessive doses. The study is mainly based on primary data collected from a sample of 200 farmers from Rajshahi, Rangpur and Naogaon districts of Northern Bangladesh following a multistage random sampling method. To achieve the objectives of the study, both statistical and econometric methods are used. From the analysis of data, it is found that farmers apply excessive amount of chemical fertilizers in rice, potato, wheat and maize cultivation in order to obtain higher yields. The amounts of excessive doses range from two to five folds. The logistic regression results suggest that education, extension contract, training, non-farm income, gross farm return, farm size, and land ownership type are statistically significant factors that affect the decision to adopt overdoses of chemical fertilizers. Among them, education, training, extension contract and farm size negatively affect the adoption decision of overdose, while non-farm income, gross farm return, farm size, and self-ownership of land positively affect the decision of overuse of chemical fertilizers by farmers in Northern Bangladesh. The study findings suggest that government organizations and NGOs should enhance necessary programs that would increase the awareness of the farmers about the positive and negative aspects of overusing chemical fertilizer in crop cultivation.
By using cointegration and error-correction rnechanism techniques, the present study investigites... more By using cointegration and error-correction rnechanism techniques, the present study investigites the causal relationship between human capital, export and econotnic growth in Bangladesh. We use time series data on Bangladesh's higher education attainment. real exports, and real GDP forthe period l98l-2011. The estimated results of the vector error correction model indicate the existence of long-run bidirectional causality between economic growth and export, ancl unidirectional causality between human capital, export ancl economic growth running from human capitalto economic growth and human capital to export. Similarly, in the short-run bidirectional causality exists between export and economic growth and unidirectional causality exists between human capital, export attd economic growth running from human capital to economic growth and human capital to export. Thus, the findings of the study indicate that human capital fbsters economic growth and stimulates exports, while exports promote long-run growth by accelerating the pro..rt of hurnan capital. Bangladesh's case study, thus, supports both human capital-based economic growth and export-led economic growth.
Rice farming dominates the farming system of Bangladesh, accounting for 75% of gross cropped area... more Rice farming dominates the farming system of Bangladesh, accounting for 75% of gross cropped area. Rice-farming environment is not the same in all parts of the country. Productivity and efficiency of rice production varies from one region to another. This paper is an effort to estimate the level of technical efficiency of rice farms operating in Meherpur district of Bangladesh. The study is mainly based on primary data that are collected from 126 rice farmers of Meherpur district following multistage random sampling technique. The level of technical efficiency of rice farms is estimated applying Translog Stochastic Frontier production function approach. The study found that the average technical efficiency of aus, aman and boro rice farms in Meherpur district are 87.7%, 86.8% and 89.5%, respectively. In addition, the study estimates the determinants of technical efficiency and found that farm size, labor cost, fertilizer and pesticide cost, seed cost, irrigation cost, and ploughing cost have significant contribution in changing the level of technical efficiency of rice production.
Like other developing countries, Bangladesh is struggling to meet the food needs for its populati... more Like other developing countries, Bangladesh is struggling to meet the food needs for its population. There are two possible solutions to this problem-import of food products and increasing national food production. In Bangladesh, increase in agricultural production is hindered by various constraints inherent in the sector such as low availability of cultivable land, declining fertility of soil, pest and virus attack problems etc. Chemical fertilizer and pesticide are vital inputs for agricultural production. With the growing popularity of modern agriculture, fertilizer and pesticide consumption in Bangladesh has been increasing over the years. The main objective of this study was to estimate the determinants of adoption decision of high doses of chemical inputs in agriculture. Using the Bivariate probit model, this study has made it possible to identify the key determinants affecting the adoption decision of chemical inputs use. The results indicate that age, education, farming experience, total family income, training, and extension service are the main determinants for the adoption decision of high doses of chemical inputs in agriculture. Farmers' education and total family income are positively related to the adoption of chemical inputs whereas age, farming experience and training are negatively related.
The present study is an effort to investigate the relationship among money, price and output for ... more The present study is an effort to investigate the relationship among money, price and output for Bangladesh over the period 1974 to 2012. The estimated results of vector error correction model based on VAR indicate the existence of long-run bidirectional causality between money supply and output, and unidirectional causality from price level to money supply and output. However, in the short-run, the bidirectional causality is found between money supply and price level, and unidirectional causality is found from output to price level. The results suggest that money supply is responsible for increasing price level and thereby inflation is a short-run monetary experience.
Abstract: Although rice is the main crop in Bangladesh and the country is ranked as the sixth lar... more Abstract: Although rice is the main crop in Bangladesh and the country is ranked as the sixth largest rice producer in the world, researchers observe that rice is not produced with full efficiency in the country. It is also observed that owing to the application of high yielding variety seeds, chemical fertilizer, pesticide, and irrigation, productivity of rice in Bangladesh has increased in the recent years though it is still lower compared to other Asian countries. A review of existing literature reveals that so far little attention has been given by the researchers in investigating the efficiency of rice production in Bangladesh. Thus, the objective of the present study is to analyze the technical efficiency of rice production in Bangladesh using data from boro rice farmers. Required data are collected from 115 boro rice producing farmers of Meherpur district selected using multistage random sampling procedure. In analyzing the data, farm specific technical efficiency scores are estimated using the Translog Stochastic Frontier Production function approach. The study found that technical efficiency of boro rice farms in Meherpur district is 89.5%. It is also found that ‘labor’, ‘fertilizer and pesticide’, ‘seed’ and ‘irrigation’ are the significant factors that affect the level of technical efficiency while ‘farm size’ and ‘ploughing cost’ are found insignificant in affecting technical efficiency of boro rice production in the study area. The results indicate that boro rice farms in the study area have been operating below the maximum level of production frontier and given the available technology, farmers can increase their production by 10.5% through increasing the use of labor, seed and irrigation inputs and also by using proper doses of fertilizer and pesticide inputs.
Abstract: Using cointegration and error-correction mechanism techniques, this paper investigated ... more Abstract: Using cointegration and error-correction mechanism techniques, this paper investigated the causal relationship between domestic demand, export and economic growth using data pertaining to Bangladesh’s final household consumption and government consumption as a measure of domestic demand, real exports, and real GDP over the period 1971–2011. It is found that final household consumption, final government consumption and export influence short-run and long-run economic growth. Thus, there is a dynamic relationship among domestic demand, export, and economic growth in Bangladesh. Moreover, economic growth in Bangladesh has an impact on its domestic demand and exports in the short-run, but in the long-run economic growth has an impact on final household consumption only.
Agriculture is the mainstay of Bangladesh economy. It plays important role to the growth and deve... more Agriculture is the mainstay of Bangladesh economy. It plays important role to the growth and development of the economy of the country. Most of the farmers of Bangladesh are marginal and small farmers. They consume most part of their produced commodities. The market participation rate of them with surplus production is very low. Therefore, the main objective of the present study is to estimate the level of commercialization of smallholder farmers. The study also examines the welfare outcomes of commercialization of these farmers. This study is mainly based on primary data that are collected from Durgapur Upazila of Rajshahi District of Bangladesh. The required data have been collected from 100 smallholder farmers in the study area. A multi-stage random sampling technique is applied to select the sample farmers. The present study uses household commercialization index to estimate the level of commercialization of smallholder farmers. It also applies one-way ANOVA analysis to examine the welfare outcomes among smallholder farmers working at different levels of commercialization. Firstly, calculation of Household Commercialization Index implies that the average percentage level of commercialization of smallholder farmers in the study area is 57%, which indicates the moderate level of commercialization. And findings from one-way ANOVA analysis indicate that farm households with high degree of commercialization enjoy better welfare outcomes such as consumption of more food and goods, and services. The commercialization of smallholder farmers contributes more to the gross domestic product and economic development of Bangladesh. Therefore, the government and non- government organizations should provide financial support such as input subsidy, credit facilities, training etc. to the smallholder farmers so that they can increase the agricultural productivity and can participate in the market with their surplus production.
The present study is an attempt to analyze the present situation of food security in Bangladesh. ... more The present study is an attempt to analyze the present situation of food security in Bangladesh. The government of Bangladesh is firmly committed to ensure food for all, as enshrined in the Constitution. Food security situation in Bangladesh has improved, especially on the availability side. On national scale, Bangladesh has achieved food self-sufficiency through domestic production, imports and food aid. The study is based on secondary data. The data used in this study were collected from different sources such as books, reports, journal articles, newspaper and online sources. Collected data were analyzed through tabular, graphical and statistical techniques. The study found that total production of rice and wheat were 34750 and 1260 thousand metric tons, respectively, in the FY 2011-12 in Bangladesh. Besides rice and wheat, production of potato, vegetables, fish, meat milk, egg, spices, etc. has also been increased over time. However, the production of pulse, oil seeds, sugar, and fruits experienced fluctuation over time. It is found that per capita calorie intake of the people has increased to 2318.3 kcal in 2010 from 2240.3 kcal in 2000 at national level. It is important to note that per capita calorie intake is more in rural households compared to urban households. In addition to per capita calorie intake, per capita protein intake has slightly been increased over the years in Bangladesh.
The present study is an effort to investigate the macroeconomic trends in Bangladesh. The study i... more The present study is an effort to investigate the macroeconomic trends in Bangladesh. The study is based on secondary data which were collected from different sources. The study found that the growth pattern of Bangladesh economy has been relatively strong during the 1990s and 2000s showing considerable improvement over the previous two decades. During last five years Bangladesh has managed to achieve a continued growth of GDP above 6%. The satisfactory growth in export-import, FDI inflow, domestic and national savings, continued flow of remittance, favorable current account balance have stabilized the economy of Bangladesh. However, the country is facing inflationary pressure in last several years despite governments strive to control inflation through combined fiscal, monetary and other supportive policies. Domestic and national savings were 20.31 and 30.21 percent of GDP, respectively, in FY 2007- 08. The rates of domestic and national savings have become 19.18 and 29.78 percent of GDP in FY 2009-10 due to the effect of financial crisis. The study also found total FDI inflow in Bangladesh is gradually increasing. A significant number of people are employed in abroad and they contribute in the economy through sending remittance. In all these counts, the economy of Bangladesh has registered significant positive changes over the last few years.
The handloom weaving industry is one of the ancient cottage industries in Bangladesh. Next to ag... more The handloom weaving industry is one of the ancient cottage industries in Bangladesh. Next to agriculture, it is the second largest sources of rural employment and income. The present study is an effort to investigate the present scenario of handloom weaving industries in Bangladesh. The study is based on secondary data. The data used in this study were collected from different sources such as books, reports, journal articles, newspaper and online sources. Collected data have been analyzed through tabular, graphical and statistical method. The study found that in Bangladesh there are about 183512 handlooms weaving units with about 505556 looms . The total operational looms are 311851, which are 61.7 percent of total looms, and the rest 193705 looms are non-operational. The study also found that handloom weaving industry is a promising sector to provide rural employment in the perspective of Bangladesh.
Handloom sector is contributing to generation rural employment and income increase, alleviating rural poverty, substituting imports, and increasing potentials for exports. Another important finding is that this sector provides employment for the women labor force at family environment. At present, a significant portion of local demand for fabric is met-up by handloom industries. Therefore, government should take proper care for the development of the handloom industries.
Agriculture is the mainstay of Bangladesh economy. It plays important role to the growth and deve... more Agriculture is the mainstay of Bangladesh economy. It plays important role to the growth and development of the economy of the country. Most of the farmers of Bangladesh are marginal and small farmers. They consume most part of their produced commodities. The market participation rate of them with surplus production is very low. Therefore, the main objective of the present study is to estimate the level of commercialization of smallholder farmers. The study also examines the welfare outcomes of commercialization of these farmers. This study is mainly based on primary data that are collected from Durgapur Upazila of Rajshahi District of Bangladesh. The required data have been collected from 100 smallholder farmers in the study area. A multi-stage random sampling technique is applied to select the sample farmers. The present study uses household commercialization index to estimate the level of commercialization of smallholder farmers. It also applies one-way ANOVA analysis to examine ...
In Bangladesh, farmers apply chemical fertilizer in agricultural production for obtaining higher ... more In Bangladesh, farmers apply chemical fertilizer in agricultural production for obtaining higher crop yield. However, they often apply excessive amounts of chemical fertilizers compared to the doses as per the fertilizer recommendation guidelines of Bangladesh. Therefore, this study aims to measure the actual doses of different chemical fertilizers that are applied by the farmers in Northern Bangladesh. Moreover, the study tries to identify the factors that affect the decision of the farmers to apply chemical fertilizers in excessive doses. The study is mainly based on primary data collected from a sample of 200 farmers from Rajshahi, Rangpur and Naogaon districts of Northern Bangladesh following a multistage random sampling method. To achieve the objectives of the study, both statistical and econometric methods are used. From the analysis of data, it is found that farmers apply excessive amount of chemical fertilizers in rice, potato, wheat and maize cultivation in order to obtain higher yields. The amounts of excessive doses range from two to five folds. The logistic regression results suggest that education, extension contract, training, non-farm income, gross farm return, farm size, and land ownership type are statistically significant factors that affect the decision to adopt overdoses of chemical fertilizers. Among them, education, training, extension contract and farm size negatively affect the adoption decision of overdose, while non-farm income, gross farm return, farm size, and self-ownership of land positively affect the decision of overuse of chemical fertilizers by farmers in Northern Bangladesh. The study findings suggest that government organizations and NGOs should enhance necessary programs that would increase the awareness of the farmers about the positive and negative aspects of overusing chemical fertilizer in crop cultivation.
By using cointegration and error-correction rnechanism techniques, the present study investigites... more By using cointegration and error-correction rnechanism techniques, the present study investigites the causal relationship between human capital, export and econotnic growth in Bangladesh. We use time series data on Bangladesh's higher education attainment. real exports, and real GDP forthe period l98l-2011. The estimated results of the vector error correction model indicate the existence of long-run bidirectional causality between economic growth and export, ancl unidirectional causality between human capital, export ancl economic growth running from human capitalto economic growth and human capital to export. Similarly, in the short-run bidirectional causality exists between export and economic growth and unidirectional causality exists between human capital, export attd economic growth running from human capital to economic growth and human capital to export. Thus, the findings of the study indicate that human capital fbsters economic growth and stimulates exports, while exports promote long-run growth by accelerating the pro..rt of hurnan capital. Bangladesh's case study, thus, supports both human capital-based economic growth and export-led economic growth.
Rice farming dominates the farming system of Bangladesh, accounting for 75% of gross cropped area... more Rice farming dominates the farming system of Bangladesh, accounting for 75% of gross cropped area. Rice-farming environment is not the same in all parts of the country. Productivity and efficiency of rice production varies from one region to another. This paper is an effort to estimate the level of technical efficiency of rice farms operating in Meherpur district of Bangladesh. The study is mainly based on primary data that are collected from 126 rice farmers of Meherpur district following multistage random sampling technique. The level of technical efficiency of rice farms is estimated applying Translog Stochastic Frontier production function approach. The study found that the average technical efficiency of aus, aman and boro rice farms in Meherpur district are 87.7%, 86.8% and 89.5%, respectively. In addition, the study estimates the determinants of technical efficiency and found that farm size, labor cost, fertilizer and pesticide cost, seed cost, irrigation cost, and ploughing cost have significant contribution in changing the level of technical efficiency of rice production.
Like other developing countries, Bangladesh is struggling to meet the food needs for its populati... more Like other developing countries, Bangladesh is struggling to meet the food needs for its population. There are two possible solutions to this problem-import of food products and increasing national food production. In Bangladesh, increase in agricultural production is hindered by various constraints inherent in the sector such as low availability of cultivable land, declining fertility of soil, pest and virus attack problems etc. Chemical fertilizer and pesticide are vital inputs for agricultural production. With the growing popularity of modern agriculture, fertilizer and pesticide consumption in Bangladesh has been increasing over the years. The main objective of this study was to estimate the determinants of adoption decision of high doses of chemical inputs in agriculture. Using the Bivariate probit model, this study has made it possible to identify the key determinants affecting the adoption decision of chemical inputs use. The results indicate that age, education, farming experience, total family income, training, and extension service are the main determinants for the adoption decision of high doses of chemical inputs in agriculture. Farmers' education and total family income are positively related to the adoption of chemical inputs whereas age, farming experience and training are negatively related.
The present study is an effort to investigate the relationship among money, price and output for ... more The present study is an effort to investigate the relationship among money, price and output for Bangladesh over the period 1974 to 2012. The estimated results of vector error correction model based on VAR indicate the existence of long-run bidirectional causality between money supply and output, and unidirectional causality from price level to money supply and output. However, in the short-run, the bidirectional causality is found between money supply and price level, and unidirectional causality is found from output to price level. The results suggest that money supply is responsible for increasing price level and thereby inflation is a short-run monetary experience.
Abstract: Although rice is the main crop in Bangladesh and the country is ranked as the sixth lar... more Abstract: Although rice is the main crop in Bangladesh and the country is ranked as the sixth largest rice producer in the world, researchers observe that rice is not produced with full efficiency in the country. It is also observed that owing to the application of high yielding variety seeds, chemical fertilizer, pesticide, and irrigation, productivity of rice in Bangladesh has increased in the recent years though it is still lower compared to other Asian countries. A review of existing literature reveals that so far little attention has been given by the researchers in investigating the efficiency of rice production in Bangladesh. Thus, the objective of the present study is to analyze the technical efficiency of rice production in Bangladesh using data from boro rice farmers. Required data are collected from 115 boro rice producing farmers of Meherpur district selected using multistage random sampling procedure. In analyzing the data, farm specific technical efficiency scores are estimated using the Translog Stochastic Frontier Production function approach. The study found that technical efficiency of boro rice farms in Meherpur district is 89.5%. It is also found that ‘labor’, ‘fertilizer and pesticide’, ‘seed’ and ‘irrigation’ are the significant factors that affect the level of technical efficiency while ‘farm size’ and ‘ploughing cost’ are found insignificant in affecting technical efficiency of boro rice production in the study area. The results indicate that boro rice farms in the study area have been operating below the maximum level of production frontier and given the available technology, farmers can increase their production by 10.5% through increasing the use of labor, seed and irrigation inputs and also by using proper doses of fertilizer and pesticide inputs.
Abstract: Using cointegration and error-correction mechanism techniques, this paper investigated ... more Abstract: Using cointegration and error-correction mechanism techniques, this paper investigated the causal relationship between domestic demand, export and economic growth using data pertaining to Bangladesh’s final household consumption and government consumption as a measure of domestic demand, real exports, and real GDP over the period 1971–2011. It is found that final household consumption, final government consumption and export influence short-run and long-run economic growth. Thus, there is a dynamic relationship among domestic demand, export, and economic growth in Bangladesh. Moreover, economic growth in Bangladesh has an impact on its domestic demand and exports in the short-run, but in the long-run economic growth has an impact on final household consumption only.
Agriculture is the mainstay of Bangladesh economy. It plays important role to the growth and deve... more Agriculture is the mainstay of Bangladesh economy. It plays important role to the growth and development of the economy of the country. Most of the farmers of Bangladesh are marginal and small farmers. They consume most part of their produced commodities. The market participation rate of them with surplus production is very low. Therefore, the main objective of the present study is to estimate the level of commercialization of smallholder farmers. The study also examines the welfare outcomes of commercialization of these farmers. This study is mainly based on primary data that are collected from Durgapur Upazila of Rajshahi District of Bangladesh. The required data have been collected from 100 smallholder farmers in the study area. A multi-stage random sampling technique is applied to select the sample farmers. The present study uses household commercialization index to estimate the level of commercialization of smallholder farmers. It also applies one-way ANOVA analysis to examine the welfare outcomes among smallholder farmers working at different levels of commercialization. Firstly, calculation of Household Commercialization Index implies that the average percentage level of commercialization of smallholder farmers in the study area is 57%, which indicates the moderate level of commercialization. And findings from one-way ANOVA analysis indicate that farm households with high degree of commercialization enjoy better welfare outcomes such as consumption of more food and goods, and services. The commercialization of smallholder farmers contributes more to the gross domestic product and economic development of Bangladesh. Therefore, the government and non- government organizations should provide financial support such as input subsidy, credit facilities, training etc. to the smallholder farmers so that they can increase the agricultural productivity and can participate in the market with their surplus production.
The present study is an attempt to analyze the present situation of food security in Bangladesh. ... more The present study is an attempt to analyze the present situation of food security in Bangladesh. The government of Bangladesh is firmly committed to ensure food for all, as enshrined in the Constitution. Food security situation in Bangladesh has improved, especially on the availability side. On national scale, Bangladesh has achieved food self-sufficiency through domestic production, imports and food aid. The study is based on secondary data. The data used in this study were collected from different sources such as books, reports, journal articles, newspaper and online sources. Collected data were analyzed through tabular, graphical and statistical techniques. The study found that total production of rice and wheat were 34750 and 1260 thousand metric tons, respectively, in the FY 2011-12 in Bangladesh. Besides rice and wheat, production of potato, vegetables, fish, meat milk, egg, spices, etc. has also been increased over time. However, the production of pulse, oil seeds, sugar, and fruits experienced fluctuation over time. It is found that per capita calorie intake of the people has increased to 2318.3 kcal in 2010 from 2240.3 kcal in 2000 at national level. It is important to note that per capita calorie intake is more in rural households compared to urban households. In addition to per capita calorie intake, per capita protein intake has slightly been increased over the years in Bangladesh.
The present study is an effort to investigate the macroeconomic trends in Bangladesh. The study i... more The present study is an effort to investigate the macroeconomic trends in Bangladesh. The study is based on secondary data which were collected from different sources. The study found that the growth pattern of Bangladesh economy has been relatively strong during the 1990s and 2000s showing considerable improvement over the previous two decades. During last five years Bangladesh has managed to achieve a continued growth of GDP above 6%. The satisfactory growth in export-import, FDI inflow, domestic and national savings, continued flow of remittance, favorable current account balance have stabilized the economy of Bangladesh. However, the country is facing inflationary pressure in last several years despite governments strive to control inflation through combined fiscal, monetary and other supportive policies. Domestic and national savings were 20.31 and 30.21 percent of GDP, respectively, in FY 2007- 08. The rates of domestic and national savings have become 19.18 and 29.78 percent of GDP in FY 2009-10 due to the effect of financial crisis. The study also found total FDI inflow in Bangladesh is gradually increasing. A significant number of people are employed in abroad and they contribute in the economy through sending remittance. In all these counts, the economy of Bangladesh has registered significant positive changes over the last few years.
The handloom weaving industry is one of the ancient cottage industries in Bangladesh. Next to ag... more The handloom weaving industry is one of the ancient cottage industries in Bangladesh. Next to agriculture, it is the second largest sources of rural employment and income. The present study is an effort to investigate the present scenario of handloom weaving industries in Bangladesh. The study is based on secondary data. The data used in this study were collected from different sources such as books, reports, journal articles, newspaper and online sources. Collected data have been analyzed through tabular, graphical and statistical method. The study found that in Bangladesh there are about 183512 handlooms weaving units with about 505556 looms . The total operational looms are 311851, which are 61.7 percent of total looms, and the rest 193705 looms are non-operational. The study also found that handloom weaving industry is a promising sector to provide rural employment in the perspective of Bangladesh.
Handloom sector is contributing to generation rural employment and income increase, alleviating rural poverty, substituting imports, and increasing potentials for exports. Another important finding is that this sector provides employment for the women labor force at family environment. At present, a significant portion of local demand for fabric is met-up by handloom industries. Therefore, government should take proper care for the development of the handloom industries.
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Papers by Khairul Islam
Translog Stochastic Frontier Production function approach. The study found that technical efficiency of boro rice farms in Meherpur district is 89.5%. It is also found that ‘labor’, ‘fertilizer and pesticide’, ‘seed’ and ‘irrigation’ are the significant factors that affect the level of technical efficiency while ‘farm size’ and ‘ploughing cost’ are found insignificant in affecting technical efficiency of boro rice production in the study area. The results indicate that boro rice farms in the study area have been operating below the maximum level of production frontier and given the available technology, farmers can increase their production by 10.5% through increasing the use of labor, seed and irrigation inputs and also by using proper doses of fertilizer and pesticide inputs.
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The total operational looms are 311851, which are 61.7 percent of total looms, and the rest 193705 looms are non-operational. The study also found that handloom weaving industry is a promising sector to provide rural employment in the perspective of Bangladesh.
Handloom sector is contributing to generation rural employment and income increase, alleviating rural poverty, substituting imports, and increasing potentials for exports. Another important finding is that this sector provides employment for the women labor force at family environment. At present, a significant portion of local demand for fabric is met-up by handloom industries. Therefore, government should take proper care for the development of the handloom industries.
Translog Stochastic Frontier Production function approach. The study found that technical efficiency of boro rice farms in Meherpur district is 89.5%. It is also found that ‘labor’, ‘fertilizer and pesticide’, ‘seed’ and ‘irrigation’ are the significant factors that affect the level of technical efficiency while ‘farm size’ and ‘ploughing cost’ are found insignificant in affecting technical efficiency of boro rice production in the study area. The results indicate that boro rice farms in the study area have been operating below the maximum level of production frontier and given the available technology, farmers can increase their production by 10.5% through increasing the use of labor, seed and irrigation inputs and also by using proper doses of fertilizer and pesticide inputs.
.
The total operational looms are 311851, which are 61.7 percent of total looms, and the rest 193705 looms are non-operational. The study also found that handloom weaving industry is a promising sector to provide rural employment in the perspective of Bangladesh.
Handloom sector is contributing to generation rural employment and income increase, alleviating rural poverty, substituting imports, and increasing potentials for exports. Another important finding is that this sector provides employment for the women labor force at family environment. At present, a significant portion of local demand for fabric is met-up by handloom industries. Therefore, government should take proper care for the development of the handloom industries.