[ad_1]
Abul Bayes, a retired economics professor at Jahangirnagar University, conducted a study on the economic impact of the Bangabandhu Bridge for the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) in 2006. He surveyed people from seven villages before and after the construction of bridge. It can be seen that the five villages that have benefited from the bridge have higher crop growth rates, higher incomes and lower poverty. On the other hand, the two towns did not directly benefit from the bridge. The rate of increase in crop prices, the increase in income and the reduction in poverty are not that high. For example, the price of rice rises at a rate of 6 percent per year in the six years since the bridge was launched in villages that have directly benefited from the bridge. On the other hand, in unprofitable villages, the rate increases by 3 percent. This table can be seen in the case of the prices of all crops.
Farmers in the south think that if the Padma bridge is opened, they will get higher prices for crops like in the north. Their hopes were raised in a survey conducted in May by the Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) of the Ministry of Planning. IMED interviewed 650 people from different walks of life in Madaripur, Shariatpur and Munshiganj, 95 percent of whom said transporting agricultural products would be easier if the Padma Bridge was opened.
Badsha Mia, a farmer from Shibchar in Madaripur, told Prothom Alo on his mobile phone that it costs more to ship his produce to Dhaka due to the lack of a bridge. It takes more time. Once the bridge is open, the market can be easily captured.
