Bangladesh is set to export two lakh metric tonnes of food grains abroad in the current fiscal.
Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud came up with the revelation while addressing as chief guest at the inaugural session of a scientific conference at Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Science University (CVASU) on Saturday.
CVASU organised the 16th international scientific conference on ‘Intensification of Livestock and Fisheries for Achieving Food Safety and Nutritional Security: Challenges and Opportunities’.
In his speech, Dr hasan said, “In the erstwhile East Pakistan our population was 47 million. At that time, we used to face food deficit in every year. Now the population has increased four times with the cultivable land reducing by over 12 percent, but under the dynamic leadership of Bangabandhu’s daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh has become self-sufficient in food grain production and has turned into a food exporting country.”
“It was unthinkable even in the last few years, and now, Bangladesh is a case study before the world’s food producing countries,” the Minister said
“Many world leaders in 1971 had confusion regarding the country’s existence, and opined that Bangladesh may not sustain as an independent country, he said.
The country was liberated from occupation forces of Pakistan in 1971 through supreme sacrifices of three million people and the honor of two lakh mothers and sisters.
“Now, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in all indices, socio, economic and human, we have crossed Pakistan, and in many social and human indices, we have crossed India,” Hasan Mahmud said.
Terming Bangladesh as crossing the fourth industrial revolution, Dr Hasan said, Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina will be able to transform Bangladesh into a completely developed country by 2041, to cope with the industrial revolution.
He called upon scientists at home and abroad to help through research as the country will reach a new avenue of development.
saying the dignity of a university depends on quality education and quality research, the minister said many world ranking universities are small, but very good, made possible by quality education and research.
Vice chancellor of CVASU Prof. Dr. Goutam Buddha Das presided over the inaugural function while member of the Bangladesh University Grants Commission, Prof. Dr. Mohammad Sajjad Hossain, and the chairman of Food Safety Authority Syeda Sarwar Jahan addressed as special guests.
About 300 participants including scientists , researchers, educationists, environmentalists, professionals, NGO personalities, development associates and representatives of donor agencies from home and abroad including the UK, Malaysia and India attended the conference.
