FINANCING THE POVERTY STRICKEN RURAL POOR IN BANGLADESH

Analysis of data from a village of Bangladesh shows that the incomes of poor and landless households are inadequate to meet their minimum basic needs and particularly the landless households mostly depend on gifts and loans for their mere survival. The need for credit is seriously felt by the poor farmers during born season which they meet mostly by borrowing from non-institutional sources at a very high interest rate and by mortgaging out land. Timely supply of credit at subsidized interest rate, input subsidy and ensured fair output price would improve the condition of the poor farmers. WI He for landless, since the prospect to get substantial benefit from new technology is not so bright (even if labour inte7sive technologies are adopted), particularly due to shifting of traditional peak periods of labour demand to new peak periods ; substantial credit and institutional support to create non-farm income generating activities would their condition