Agriculture Minister and Awami League presidium member Dr Mohammad Abdur Razzaque said hostile weather in agriculture is a challenge for the whole world. Bangladesh is a country prone to natural disasters, the challenges here are even greater.
“However, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government is tackling this challenge very successfully. In addition to adequate allocation for research to deal with hostile weather in the future, it is working to modernize and mechanize agriculture. Therefore, we can deal with hostile weather,” he said.
The minister was speaking as the chief guest at a dialogue titled 'Agricultural Production in Hostile Climate: Unstable Global Agricultural Products Trade' at Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB) Auditorium in the capital on Sunday afternoon. Bangladesh Agricultural Journalists Forum (BAJF) organized the dialogue.
The Minister said that with the help of combine harvester, it is possible to harvest paddy quickly in Haor. He said that in order to deal with the hostile environment, 50-60pc subsidy is being given to the farmers for various agricultural implements including combine harvesters. At present 566 combine harvesters are being used for harvesting paddy in Sunamganj district alone. As a result, it has been possible to harvest 77pc boro paddy in Sunamganj so far even in hostile environment.
The minister said the present government has eradicated crisis forever through various programs. In the last 14 years, there has been no food crisis anywhere in the country, including coastal areas and char areas.
The minister said the present government was allocating adequate funds for research in agriculture. "We used to depend on foreign countries for agricultural research. Research could not have been done without the help of foreign or international donors. However, now Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is allocating enough for research in agriculture. Therefore, there is no shortage of funds for research,” said the minister.
The minister remarked that Bangladesh's achievements are being diminished by comparing Bangladesh with Sri Lanka. He said that a nation can move forward on the strength of its self-confidence.
“Unnecessarily and unfoundedly, our confidence and achievements are being belittled with comparisons to Sri Lanka.
This is not happening at all. As we move forward, our entrepreneurs will be disappointed with such baseless comparisons,” he said.
Planning Minister MA Mannan and Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim spoke as special guests. Professor Mohammad Jahangir Alam of Bangladesh Agricultural University presented the keynote address at the function presided over by BAJF President Golam Iftekhar Mahmud and conducted by General Secretary Sahanwar Saeed Shaheen.
Former Vice Chancellor of Bangladesh Agricultural University and Emeritus Professor Dr MA Sattar Mandal presided over the panel discussion. Also present as speakers were Prof Dr Mostafizur Rahman, Fellow of the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Md Jasim Uddin, President of FBCCI, the apex business organization, Dr. F. H. Ansari, President of ACI Agribusiness, Masrur Aref Ltd. Additional Managing Director (Acting Managing Director) Syed Moinuddin Ahmed.
