Conclusions, Recommendations, Limitations and Implications of the Study
10.3 Recommendations of the study
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14) The study showed that water selling, Boro rice production, and remittance income were the major sources of income for STW owners, while Boro rice production and remittance income were the main sources of income for the irrigators.
15) This research study also demonstrated that STW irrigation business was profitable in current normal price of inputs and outputs, when STW owners performed as a manager, but the business will unprofitable for DOS in uncertain situation considering 10 percent increasing of diesel cost or 10 percent increasing of total cost or 10 percent decreasing of benefit. It would be fairly unable to sustain the STWs irrigation business in severe uncertain situations with rising in diesel / electricity prices without commensurate rising in outputs (paddy) prices. The subsidy for diesel and electricity price and low tariff system for imported STW machine, spare parts can make the STW irrigation business sustainability.
16) Boro rice production was reasonably profitable at the current prices. The analysis showed that amongst the four categories of farmers, when all inputs including land and labor were hired (category-1), production of irrigated rice was not profitable. Production of Boro rice was highly profitable when grown by farmer in his own land with family labor (category-4). In this case, returns to family labour were US$ 7.17 per man-day, which was quite higher than normal wage (US$ 6.25/man-day), and it indicated that Boro rice production was a competitive business in rural market and was strongly able to compete with other business, which implies the sustainability of Boro rice production. In cases of all inputs hired except labor (category-2) and all inputs hired except land (category-3), Boro rice production was reasonable and marginally profitable to the farmers respectively.
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authority should give priority to facilitate electricity connections along with the provision of metering and billing systems.
2) Duty free import and free market distribution of irrigation equipments should be continued. Although Japanese and English STW engines were preferred by pump owners (if price were not considered), farmers have gone for cheaper engines, even with a perceived lower level of durability and a higher rate of breakdown. Therefore, the liberalized importation of smaller and cheaper engines should be continued. In this connection, Government can encourage the local concerned manufacturer for making at low cost (through without duties or restrictions etc).
3) Although rice production was profitable, the average yield was lower than in neighbouring countries. To increase yield government should increase investment in research for varietal improvement and on farm water management
4) Since, it is not possible to connect all STWs of the country with electricity connection in the short-term; some special subsidies should be ensured for coping with increasing diesel prices.
5) Since there was observed frequently a mismatch between engines and their pumps and systems in the study area, there should be an effort to remove it. Skill on matching engines with pumps and systems is important and there is scope for providing training and technical information for equipment traders, drillers and mechanics in regards to the selection of the right size of engine and pump and interpreting the physical system. This provision would help farmers minimize their costs of irrigation.
6) To keep the irrigation units (STWs) functioning smoothly, amongst other factors improvement of technical knowledge of rural mechanic through intensive training is very essential. The training facilities might enhance their work speed which may ensure the repairing of STWs quickly and also ensure uninterrupted irrigation for higher yield of Boro rice.
7) There were frequent occurrences of major breakdowns of engines and the farmers often had to wait for a long time for the completion of repairs, particularly for older Japanese engine due to shortage/unavailability of spare parts. This delayed repairing hampered crop production. This was a real problem in critical periods of crop growth. The increasing and improvement of local workshop facilities could relax this problem to some extent. Bank loans on easy terms could be made available to establish rural workshops so that they can take up major repairs.
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8) It was reported that due to uncertain supplying of fertilizers, farmers could not apply required fertilizers when needed and they had to drop from vegetations and mustard production. The Government should be ensured to supply fertilizers to the farmers in right quantity at right time and right price. This will help farmers to mobilize the earning coming from mustard and vegetables production to Boro crop cultivation.
9) Electricity operated STW owners earned higher profit than diesel operated STW owners.
Conversely, DOS owners were sustaining with marginal profits. Diesel price should be subsidized to sustain irrigation water selling business by DOS. Otherwise, it would be fairly unable to sustain the STW irrigation business in severe uncertain situations like rising of diesel / electricity price without commensurate rising in paddy price.
10) Existing electricity connection procedure should be reviewed by the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) which might be improved the present situations about electricity connection and billing system. If diesel price increase and paddy price do not increase rationally, then the DOS owners will loss their spirit to run the STW and ultimately the crop production will be reduced in a large scale. To sustain this system, GoB should take a decision for continuing the existing subsidy system to the DOS owners.
11) Registration or electricity connection fee was quite higher which made some farmers unable to get electricity connection for their STWs. The higher fees are alleged to be charged illegally. The government should take steps to minimize cost of electricity connections fees and to ensure uninterrupted power supply for timely delivery of water to the field for improving yield
12) The EOS owners concerned about non-metering billing system. Non-metering rate of electricity would be rational if the rate could be billed on the basis of command area and not on the basis of engine capacity. Otherwise, the metering system would be recommended. In this regard, concerned authority should give priority to facilitate the provision of metering systems.
13) Shortage of diesel supplying and rising of diesel price in peak period of irrigation was reported in the study area. The government should monitor the diesel price and to ensure diesel supplying at the fixed price in time. Diesel price should continue to be subsidized to sustain irrigation water selling business as well as Boro rice production.
14) Potentials of the existing informal social institutions should be fully understood and utilized for improvement of command area level management of irrigation (i.e. allocation of plots, dispute settlement, field channel construction, etc).
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15) Irrigation has direct influence towards farmer’s socio-economic status, therefore further study could investigate the implication of irrigation on poverty alleviation in rural Bangladesh. Since total 7.41 mha lands is under irrigation and 54 percent irrigated land is under marginal and tenant farming for Boro rice cultivation, hence government should be kept in mind that the profit margins should have reasonable from Boro rice production for the marginal and tenant farmers.
16) The performance evaluation can be further improved by including indicators on environmental sustainability, income and employment generation and poverty alleviation.