ZCZC
BSS–47
RAZZAQUE-RESEARCH-AGRICULTURE
Razzaque for reducing foreign dependency in farm technology
DHAKA, Mar 7, 2021 (BSS) – Stressing on reducing foreign dependency in technology, Agriculture Minister Dr M Abdur Razzaque today said the country needs to adopt suitable local technology in the farm sector through extension of research as the government is providing substantial fund for agricultural research and development.
“We have to innovate all the farm technologies– including farming, using of farm ingredients and crop production through applying organic system of our own and those need to be disseminated in the quickest possible time,” he said in a view-exchange meeting titled ‘overall progress and future planning’ held at Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) here.
Once country’s research depends on foreign aid, but now the agriculture friendly government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is allocating adequate fund for research and development of agriculture.
Krishi Gobeshona Foundation (KGF) organized the programme with senior secretary of the Agriculture Ministry M Meshbahul Haque spoke at the function as the special guest.
Razzaque also instructed the KGF, a non-profit foundation assigned for sustainable support to agricultural research & development, to use the research fund earmarked by the government properly. He suggested the foundation to work more carefully for undertaking development projects in agriculture.
The minister underscored the need for concrete, target and result oriented research outcomes for increasing production in areas characterized by adverse environment including chars, coastal saline areas, hills and haors.
At the same time, project implantation, evaluation and monitoring programmes also need to be strengthened, the minister told the function.
Chaired by KGF chairman and BARC Executive Chairman Dr Sheikh Mohammad Bakhtiar, the programme was also addressed, among others, by KGF programme specialist Dr Shahabuddin Ahmed, KGF former executive director Dr Wais Kabir and its present executive director Dr Jibon Krishna Biswas.
In 2020-21, KGF earmarked Taka 32.19 crore against 64 agricultural projects till February while it was Taka 45 crore for the same number of projects in 2019-20 fiscal year.
BSS/PR/OG/KU/1954 HRS