Dhaka, June 16 -- Nearly 80 percent of Bangladesh's public spending on agriculture is channelled into fertiliser subsidies, yet marginal farmers receive only a fraction of the benefits, World Bank has said.

The study, titled "Repurposing Agricultural Public Spending for Quality Growth and Jobs in Bangladesh's Agrifood System", was launched in Dhaka on Monday.

It found that the wealthiest 20 percent of landowners receive roughly half of all fertiliser subsidies, while the bottom 40 percent receive only about 15 percent.

The report argues that despite agriculture accounting for only around one-tenth of total public expenditure, the sector continues to struggle with slow growth, modest productivity gains and limited movement into higher-v...