Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, ‘Bangladesh will not depend on foreigners. The government wants to make every family self-reliant. We have delivered mobile phones to everyone. The country is moving forward using technology. We want to move forward. He said these things while addressing the chief guest at a function organized on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRI) in Gazipur on Thursday afternoon. Referring to the shooting of farmers agitating for fertilizer during the BNP government, Sheikh Hasina said that 18 farmers were shot dead during the BNP government. It was their crime, they demanded fertilizer. 9 people were shot dead for demanding electricity. 17 workers were brutally killed during the month of Ramadan when the workers went to protest for fair wages. Since then, Awami League promised that the farmer does not have to run after fertilizer, the fertilizer will reach the farmer’s doorstep. After coming to power in 2009, he made that arrangement. Referring to the topic of giving incentives to farmers to increase food production, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that working in the field and growing crops is a matter of pride. People should be involved in that way. It is the government’s goal that the people of Bangladesh should not suffer from food. The government is regularly allocating funds for intensive research in the production of high-yielding crops. Agricultural production should be continued keeping in mind the adverse natural conditions. On this occasion, he thanked the agronomists and researchers for the high-yielding rice developed by the Rice Research Institute. Stating that it has been decided to give TCB products to one crore people in the next Ramadan, the Prime Minister said, “Our government is working to ensure food security.” In the meantime, we have been providing TCB products to one crore of people. Apart from this, 50 lakh poor people are being given rice at Tk 15 per kg. When we came to power in 2009, there was a food shortage of 2.6 lakh metric tonnes. Later we came to power and provided agricultural incentives. Earlier at 11 am, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina attended the 50th-anniversary celebrations of Bri in Gazipur in a helicopter. Later, Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the ceremony by blowing balloons and pigeons. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the Bangabandhu-Pierre Trudeau Agricultural Technology Center at the Rice Research Institute. Later, Bangabandhu-Pierre Trudeau visited the Agricultural Technology Innovation Center and unveiled five publications of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute and Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council.
