Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday asserted that not a single person in the country will remain hungry as her government has attached topmost priority to increasing food production.
“Her government is giving special emphasis on food security as well as nutrition security. Today, Bangladesh has achieved self-sufficiency in food by tackling past deficits through various agricultural research and development activities,” she said while inaugurating an international seminar on World Food Day-2020.
The Agriculture Ministry and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) organised the programme at a hotel in the capital. The Prime Minister attended it virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban.
The Prime Minister urged the global leaders to build a world free from hunger, saying, “Let us make efforts in unison to build a world free from hunger.”
The Prime Minister said when the Covid-19 hit the country, the government set its focus on food production and ensured the increased food production, "because, there should be food security. As the entire world was at a standstill, there's a possibility of famine, but that must not affect Bangladesh…the people of Bangladesh must not suffer from food scarcity."
‘We immediately provided food and other assistance to people affected and unemployed due to Coronavirus. It has benefited more than 1 crore families. Some 50 lakh people including affected farmers and labourers have been given cash,’ she continued.
She said the government has been providing various stimulus packages, worth Tk 112,633 crore, which is four percent of the GDP, from the very beginning of the pandemic.
The Prime Minister said, “We have been working with a special focus to make sure that the people won’t suffer amid the coronavirus outbreak.”
She added that her government has given stimulus packages of Tk 5,000 for agriculture for the coronavirus period to keep the food production uninterrupted.
The Prime Minister said the government provided the stimulus packages for keeping the wheels of the economy moving and ensuring a good life for people during the pandemic. "We've been working relentlessly for that."
Hasina said the dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was to make the country free from hunger and poverty. "It was his dream to make the country as a developed and prosperous one, and we're working to that end."
After independence, the Father of the Nation embarked on building a self-sufficient, hunger free and developed Bangladesh. He formed the National Agriculture Award Fund in 1973. Due to his efforts, Bangladesh became a member of FAO in 1973.
Bangabandhu had allocated Tk 101 crore out of Tk 500 crore in agriculture for ensuring food security for all, she recalled.
Following in the footsteps of the Father of the Nation, the Prime Minister said her government also attached priority to agriculture since assuming office in 1996 and has been taking measures accordingly to increase food production so the country never suffers from food crisis.
Walking down the memory lane, Sheikh Hasina said that ‘the country had food deficit of 24 lakh MTs when the Awami League came to power in 1996. In the next 5 years, I filled that deficit and the country witnessed a surplus food production of 26 lakh MTs. For the first time we formulated new agricultural extension policy-1996 and agricultural policy-1999.’
‘After formation of the government in 2009, we have ensured the use of digital technology in agriculture. About 2.1 crore farmers have been given agricultural materials assistance cards. Since 2009, we have developed 655 improved yielding varieties of crop and 591 technologies. We have formulated the National Agricultural Extension Policy-2020 and Safe Food Act-2013. Irrigation activities have been undertaken on a large scale through solar power system to reduce the production cost of the farmers,’ the prime minister added.
She also said, ‘We are giving importance to agricultural machinery to enrich food production and management. To this end, a project worth Tk 3,198 crore has been taken up. Some taka 9,500 crore has been allocated for agricultural subsidy. I am focusing on the blue economy to achieve food security. The Marine Fisheries Act-2020 has been finalized.’
‘Bangladesh is now ranked third in rice and vegetable production, fourth in tea production, seventh in potato and wheat production and eighth in guava production in the world. We have achieved third place in fish production in inland open water and first place in hilsa fish production,’ she added.
The Prime Minister once again called upon all to bring every inch of land under cultivation to ensure food security as many countries in the world might face food shortage.
Chaired by Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, the programme was addressed, among others, by Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder, Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture Ministry Matia Chowdhury spoke on the occasion.
Recorded speech of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Director General Qu Dongyu was played at the function while newly appointed Agriculture Secretary Mesbaul Hasan gave the welcome address.
A video documentary in respect of the “food heroes” (farmers) of Bangladesh was screened at the function.
The World Food Day is being observed in Bangladesh as elsewhere in the world with the theme “Grow, nourish, sustain together. Our actions are our future.”
