2024-02-10 01:43:42
Minister of Agriculture Abdus Shahid said, we are working together with the Ministry of Commerce, Food and Agriculture to control the market. I started working on how to destroy the syndicate. I would request those who stockpile not to do this haram business.
The minister said this at the annual research review workshop of the institution at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRI) auditorium in Gazipur on Thursday (February 8).
At this time, the agriculture minister directed the agricultural scientists and researchers to do more research to increase the crop production.
Dr. Md. Abdus Shahid said, there is no opportunity to increase production without research. If we can produce more of the food we need, no one will have a chance to bow down. But if it is not self-sufficient in production, it cannot be imported from abroad at the time of need due to price increase in the international market, war-political conflict, export ban etc. That is why we have to do our utmost to increase domestic production of crops. Wherever there is an opportunity, production must be increased by using all of it.
The minister said that Bangladesh has achieved unprecedented success in food production and food security in the last 15 years due to the continuous agriculture-friendly policies of the Awami League government under the strong leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The country is now self-sufficient in rice production. As a result of the cultivation of improved varieties of rice invented by scientists, where earlier 4-5 maunds of rice were produced per bhatia, now more than 30 maunds of rice are produced per bhatia. As a result, the population has increased to 17 crores, but there is no food shortage or crisis in the country.
Addressing the scientists, the Minister of Agriculture said that Bri scientists do more research. So that the production is more. Our scientists have the talent, they will go further. 80 percent of our country’s economy depends on agriculture. If agriculture can be arranged in such a way, we will not lack. Poverty will be eradicated. We will have a surplus of food.
Agriculture Secretary Wahida Akhter spoke as a special guest in the workshop. Under the chairmanship of BRI director general Shahjahan Kabir, the executive chairman of the Agricultural Research Council Sheikh Md. Bakhtiar, BADC Chairman Abdullah Sajjad, Director General of Agriculture Extension Department Badal Chandra Biswas, Bangladesh Representative of International Rice Research Institute Homnath Bhandari, Bangladesh Representative of Food and Agriculture Organization Xiaokun Shi and others spoke.