While speaking at the programme marking the 25th founding anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU), Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday reiterated her call to increase food production to save the country from any possible crisis amid the global economic recession due to the pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war. Also, the premier laid emphasis on the preservation of arable land for food production as the country has already lost a huge quantity of good quality and fertile land for unplanned industrialisation.
The government is extending Tk 170 crore as incentive to boost cultivation and production of boro paddy. Under the incentive, around 27 lakh farmers across the country are getting free seeds and fertilisers. The government has undertaken an initiative to cultivate every inch of land so that there is no shortage of food in the country. The aim of the initiative is to increase food production by bringing vast uncultivated lands under cultivation and to reduce import dependence. Also, the government has already taken a plan to increase crop production in fallow lands in the char areas of the country.
Prudent measures are necessary
to sustain and increase the
current state of food production
Bangladesh has achieved self-sufficiency in terms of food production and being self-sufficient in food production is indeed a great achievement for a country of 17 million people where more than 1252 people live per square kilometre.
The incumbent government approved the National Agriculture Policy 2018 with a view to achieving sustainable food and nutrition security through an efficient utilisation of the natural resources. We have tripled our rice production over the last few decades. We have seen substantial growth in agro-production, we have invented high-yield crops and consequently all the sub-sectors including fisheries, animal farming and processed agro-food have underscored remarkable growth that indicates a sustainable food system.
Prudent measures are necessary to sustain and increase the current state of food production. It needs no emphasising that in order to make our production growth sustainable we need to adopt advanced technologies in the agriculture sector.
In this regard, the government should take necessary steps to involve private sector and increase its investment in research and development of new technologies.
Last but not least, all concerned including scientists, researchers and agriculture officials should put forth their concerted efforts to boost paddy yield to feed the gradually increasing population of the country.