PM Calls Upon Agriculture Scientists To Intensify Research To Ensure Food Security

In this connection, she assured the agri scientists and researchers of providing all kinds of cooperation, saying her government would do whatever necessary to this end.

The Prime Minister was addressing a function at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agriculture University here this morning, marking its 16th founding anniversary.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haq, Krishibid Abdul Mannan, MP, AFM Bahauddin Nasim, MP, and Zahid Ahsan Russel, MP, spoke at the function as special guests. Vice-Chancellor of the university Prof Dr M Mahbubur Rahman was in the chair.

Earlier, Sheikh Hasina inaugurated Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall, Dr MA Wazed Mian Central Laboratory, Shaheed Ahsan Ullah Master Hall, Agriculture Faculty Building, Fisheries Faculty Building, Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science Faculty Building and Begum Sufia Kamal Auditorium.

The Prime Minister also unveiled the plaques of Dr LM Eisgruber Graduate Studies Faculty Building, Professor Yoshio Yamada Library Building, Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Hall, Ila Mitra Hall and Agriculturist Dr Kazi M Badruddoza Outdoor Centre and laid the foundation stone of Agriculture Economics and Rural Development Faculty Building.

Sheikh Hasina renewed her pledge to build Bangladesh as a middle-income country by 2021 and developed one by 2041.

"We would turn Bangladesh into a middle-income country before 2021 and establish it as a developed one by 2041 Insha Allah," she said.

The Prime Minister urged the scientists to work for developing agriculture as a profit-oriented, sustainable and environment-friendly system through innovating suitable agricultural technologies and handing over these to farmers, increasing management efficiency of agri inputs and productivity.

"We will have to give focus on developed technologies to meet the demands of food, clothes, housing and healthcare from depleting land," she said.

Stressing the need for agro-processing industries in the country, Sheikh Hasina said the scientists of the country will have to give attention to innovating developed technologies for food processing and marketing of diversified products like vegetables, fruits, fishes and livestock.

The Prime Minister put emphasis on maintaining education-friendly atmosphere at the university and said her government would extend allout cooperation to any steps of the authorities concerned to this end.

Sheikh Hasina extended her thanks to the researchers concerned who are contributing remarkably to ensuring food and nutrition security by inventing new and improved versions of paddy including "BU Dhan-1" which is known among the farmers of Monga-hit areas as "Bangabandhu Dhan".

The Prime Minister directed the authorities concerned to give a specific proposal for land of the forest department to conduct research on agro-forest resources by protecting biodiversity of "Shalbon".

Describing the Awami League government as farmers-friendly, Sheikh Hasina said her government in its first term established Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agriculture University in 1998 considering development of agriculture sector.

She said overall economic development of the country, including ensuring of food security for the growing population, poverty alleviation and development of the living standards of the people, is directly related with agriculture.

But, she said, the sector is now facing various challenges as the population is increasing and about one lakh hectares of agricultural land are being used for non-agriculture purposes while adverse climate change impact has been added to these.

Sheikh Hasina said it is not an easy task to provide food for over 16 crore people by facing all these challenges and added that other basic needs like clothes, housing and medical materials come from agricultural lands.

That's why, she said, attention must be given to modern technology to meet the basic needs like food, clothing, shelter and medical services for the country's huge population from the gradually shrinking lands.

The Prime Minister said Bangabandhu had dreamt of establishing a hunger- and poverty-free modern Bangladesh. Bangabandhu upgraded the job of agriculturists to first class status to attract meritorious students to agriculture education to build "Sonar Bangla".

"Following in the footsteps of Bangabandhu, we turned Bangladesh into a food-surplus country with 40 lakh metric tons from a food-deficit country with 26 lakh metric tons in our 1996-2001 tenure," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh is now self-reliant in food due to agriculture-friendly policy of the present government. "A record 3,83,43,000 MT rice was produced in 2013-14 fiscal year," she said.

Bangladesh is now not only a food-surplus country, but it is also exporting rice," she said, adding the country has proved that it can provide food for the world community.

She said Bangladesh could earn foreign currency by exporting food products through establishing small and medium industries.

The Prime Minister also spelled out her government's various measures for boosting food production.

"The steps included reducing prices of fertilizers thrice, arrangement for opening bank account by farmers at Taka 10, giving Taka 43,000 crore subsidy to agri inputs, distributing Taka 15,000 crore agri loan annually and strengthening agri research," she said.

Referring to the victory of three Bangladeshi women including her niece Tulip Rizwana Siddiq in the UK parliamentary elections, the Prime Minster extended her heartiest greetings to them and said Bangladeshi nationals are now moving towards the British governance.