Bangladesh is now a self-sufficient country in food production. At present, the country produces 4 lakh tons of rice. Bangladesh ranks third in vegetable production and second in fish production in the world. There has been a great development in agriculture as a whole. All this has been possible because of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Kushtia-3 MP Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif, joint general secretary of the Awami League central committee, said this while addressing a discussion meeting and a farmers' gathering on the occasion of concluding a two-day litchi fair at Ishwardi in Pabna on Friday.
The two-day litchi fair was organized by the Bangladesh Krishak Unnayan Society at the Bangladesh Sugarcrop Research Institute (BSRI) school ground. It was presided over by Nuruzzaman Biswas, Member of Parliament for Pabna-4 (Ishwardi-Atgharia) constituency. Kushtia-4 MP lawyer Selim Akhter George spoke on the occasion. Welcoming remarks were made by Siddiqur Rahman Moyez (Cool Moyez), President of Bangladesh Krishak Unnayan Society. The two-day litchi fair was organized in collaboration with BSRI, DAE, BARI, BINA and Upazila administration.
The chief guest Hanif MP brought litchi and said that the most famous litchi is produced in Ishwardi. He also mentioned that he would set up a litchi warehouse in Ishwardi to spread this nutritious litchi more widely and that farmers would be able to get loans at low interest rates.
Pabna-4 MP Nuruzzaman Biswas MP demanded reopening of the closed Ishwardi Airport. In view of this demand, Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif MP said, it is very important to start Ishwardi Airport. This is a long standing demand of the people of God. He assured that he would try to get the airport opened within this year.
Referring to the opposition movement, MP Hanif said they were not talking about development, they were trying to heat up the field by talking about corruption. But the people of the country will not give in to their movement. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has the same deep patriotism as Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Thus, today Bangladesh is a role model of development to the world.
BSRI Director General was present at the meeting. Amjad Hossain, Kushtia-4 MP lawyer Selim Akhter George, Kushtia District Council member Rabiul Islam, Ishwardi Upazila Chairman Naib Ali Biswas, Upazila Awami League General Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Mintu, Municipal Mayor and Municipal A'League General Secretary Ishaq Ali Malitha, Pabna Sadar Upazila Chairman Mosharraf Hossain, Pabna Municipal Mayor Sharif Uddin Pradhan along with officials of Agriculture Department and a large number of leaders and workers of Awami, Juba League and Chhatra League. Earlier, he paid homage to the portrait of Bangabandhu with flowers at the BSRI premises. At the end of the rally, he toured the stalls of the litchi fair.