According to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the success achieved in agriculture due to the agri-friendly policy of the present Awami League government has made Bangladesh a role-model in the world.
The Prime Minister said this in a message given today on the occasion of awarding ‘Bangabandhu National Agriculture Award 1424’. On this occasion, she greeted the Ministry of Agriculture and all concerned and also extended heartfelt congratulations to those who are receiving this award. Sheikh Hasina said the event is of special importance as it is between the birth centenary of the father of the nation and the 50th anniversary of independence.
Sheikh Hasina said, “The Awami League government has always given special importance to the agriculture sector. After the formation of the government in 1996, it was the first to formulate a ‘New National Agricultural Extension Policy, 1997’ to advance the development of agriculture and farmers. As a result of taking various initiatives on the basis of this policy, unprecedented success has been achieved in agriculture and the country has become self-sufficient in food by overcoming the food shortages of the past. Besides, production of vegetables, pulses, onions, potatoes and oilseeds has increased by 534, 443, 246, 96 and 75 percent respectively. During this time 656 improved/high yielding varieties of different crops have been developed. The price of fertilizer has been reduced from Tk 90 to Tk 16 per kg, TSP from Tk 80 to Tk 22, MOP from Tk 70 to Tk 15 and urea from Tk 20 to Tk 16.
Seeds of different crops have been provided 14 lakh 1 thousand 582 May. Mentioning tons, he said, development assistance has been provided in various sectors about 80 thousand crores. Development projects worth around Tk 16,000 crore have been implemented through the annual development program. About 60,000 agricultural implements have been supplied to the farmers. About Tk. 1,031 crore has been distributed among 93.65 lakh farmers for agricultural rehabilitation / incentives. Under the special facility, bank accounts of 95 lakh 81 thousand 84 farmers have been opened at 10 Tk. Arrangements have been made to provide agricultural loan of Tk. Irrigation facilities have been extended to 11.12 lakh hectares, canal re-excavation 10,638 km, irrigation canals 28,114 km, rubber-dam construction 11, irrigation infrastructure construction 9,015, power-powered pump installation 7,434, deep piping 108 and waterlogging has been removed in 36 thousand 525 hectares.
The Prime Minister said Bangladesh is today self-sufficient in granular food production due to the agriculture-friendly policies and activities adopted by our government. Bangladesh is currently the second largest producer of jute and jackfruit, the third largest producer of paddy and vegetables, the seventh largest producer of mango and potato, the eighth largest producer of guava, the third largest producer of inland open water and the fifth largest producer of closed water. The rate of production of all agricultural products is increasing day by day. Not a single piece of land in the country can be kept uncultivated. “We are also working to ensure the nutritional security of the people,” he said. At the same time, I urge everyone to pay attention to the protection of agricultural land and the protection of the environment. Our government will continue to provide all kinds of support for the development of sustainable agriculture.
Sheikh Hasina said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman started the work of rebuilding the war-torn country with utmost importance to agriculture after independence. The Father of the Nation started the agrarian revolution by providing improved agricultural inputs including land development tax exemption up to 25 bighas. As a result, unprecedented success has come in the production of agricultural products. The ‘Bangabandhu Krishi Puraskar’ was introduced in 1973 on the instructions of the Father of the Nation. Later, the ‘Bangabandhu National Agriculture Award Trust Act, 2018’ was introduced and the ‘Bangabandhu National Agriculture Award’ was given a legal basis. The Prime Minister hopes that with the dedicated efforts of all, she will be able to build the golden Bangladesh of the dream of the father of malnutrition-hunger-poverty-free, developed-prosperous-modern nation. She wished overall success to ‘Bangabandhu National Agriculture Award 1424’.
Source: B.S.S
