Finance and Planning Minister M Saifur Rahman presided over the meeting at the finance ministry.

Representatives from the ministries of agriculture and education attended the meeting.

The meeting also decided that the allocation for scholarships for students in class eight is to be increased to Tk 275 from Tk 250 in the next budget.

Saifur asked the ministry of agriculture for a detailed proposal on the costs for the mobile soil testing units.

He also called for proposals to boost countrywide subsidies to 20 percent on the price of electricity for irrigation and 25 percent subsidy on seeds in the budget proposal for FY04-05.

Currently the subsidy on the price of electricity is provided only in the Barenda area in Rajshahi Division.

The finance minister, however, rejected any subsidy for the use of diesel in irrigation saying that it would be very hard to prevent misuse of diesel in the rural areas.

"If we find ways to prevent the misuse of diesel for power irrigation, then we will consider its subsidy," he added.

A finance ministry source said Saifur has asked Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) to restructure and confine its operations in seed development and irrigation.

As part of the restructuring of BADC, he asked for more recruitment of graduates specialised in agriculture sector.