Minister of Agriculture and Awami League presidium member Dr. Abdur Razzaque said, there are field full of crops in the country. Aman paddy condition is good as of now, bumper yield will be achieved. Besides, the country has ample food reserves. If there is no major natural disaster, there will be no shortage of food in Bangladesh, there will be no famine.
The minister said these things in the speech of the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony of Aman Paddy Cutting Festival and Liberation War Memorial Center in Haibatpur of Damurhuda Upazila of Chuadanga on Tuesday morning.
Earlier, the Agriculture Minister visited the summer onion fields. At the time, the minister said that during the full onion season, enough onions are produced in the country, but due to lack of preservation technology, many onions are wasted. For this, onions have to be imported to meet the necessary demand. And to reduce this import dependence, the Ministry of Agriculture is implementing a roadmap. Production has increased by about 10 lakh tonnes in the last two years.
He said, we are also giving importance to off-season or summer onion cultivation. It has many possibilities. Farmers are being given all the support including seeds, fertilizers, technology. If we popularize this summer onion cultivation, we will not only achieve self-sufficiency in onions but also export onions abroad. In response to the questions of the journalists about fertilizers, the minister said that utmost importance is being given to ensure stock and supply of fertilizers. Sufficient stock of fertilizer is available. There is no chance of fertilizer shortage during Boro season.
Later, the minister visited Janata Engineering, an agricultural machinery manufacturer. The minister visited various agricultural machines made by Janata Engineering and praised Janata Engineering and said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is working on agricultural mechanization on a priority basis. The implementation of the project of 3000 crore rupees is going on, if necessary another project of 3000 crore rupees will be taken up. But industrialists have to come forward and invest in making agricultural machinery like Janata Engineering. Then import dependence on agricultural machinery will be reduced.
Apart from this, the agriculture minister visited various gardens including vegetable and seedling cultivation, commercial cultivation of mango, dragon, and guava in the poly-house. The minister said that the present government is working tirelessly to make agriculture profitable. Instead of producing only paddy and jute, high value crops and fruits should be cultivated, only then agriculture will be profitable.
At the end of the day in the evening, the minister inaugurated the autumn Festival and Agricultural Technology Fair at Mehrun Park in Damurhuda and distributed agricultural implements among the farmers.
Meanwhile, the local member of parliament, Ali Azgar Togar, Agriculture Secretary. Saidul Islam, Executive Chairman of BARC Sheikh Md. Bakhtiar, Director General of Agriculture Extension Department Benazir Alam, former Director General of Agriculture Extension Department Hamidur Rahman, Director General of Rice Research Institute Shahjahan Kabir, Director General of Agriculture Research Institute Debashish Sarkar, Deputy Commissioner of Chuadanga, Superintendent of Police and others were present.
