ZCZC
BSS-31
RAZZAQUE-POTENTIALITY-ALMOND
Govt takes steps to utilize potential of almond, coffee: Razzaque
BANDARBAN, June 20, 2021, (BSS) – Agriculture Minister Dr Md Abdur Razzaque today said that the government is taking integrated initiatives to utilize the potential of almonds and coffee in the country.
“There is a huge potential for almond and coffee cultivation in many places in the hilly areas and northern parts of the country. We are taking integrated initiatives to exploit the potential of almonds and coffee,” he said.
To bring almond and coffee under cultivation, a project worth Taka 211 crore titled ‘Almond and Coffee Research, Development and Expansion’ has been taken up, he said.
The minister was speaking at a workshop on ‘Almond and Coffee Research, Development and Expansion’ project as the chief guest at Bandarban Zilla Parishad auditorium in the district.
He said it is possible to earn a lot of foreign currency not only by producing ‘Almond and Coffee in the country, but also by processing raw almonds from abroad.
“In order to reduce the problem of processing of almonds in the country and to set up processing facilities, the tariff rate on import of raw almonds has already been reduced from about 90 percent to only 5 percent,” he continued.
The minister called upon the farmers and entrepreneurs to come forward in almond and coffee cultivation and its processing.
He also directed the officials of the Department of Agriculture to innovate the improved varieties and technologies of almond and coffee which are suitable for the country and disseminate those varieties and technologies to the farmers.
With Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Director General Md Asadullah in the chair, the programme was addressed, among others, by Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Md Mesbahul Islam, Additional Secretary Wahida Akhter, Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) Chairman Dr Amitabh Sarkar, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) Executive Chairman Dr Sheikh Mohammad Bakhtiar and DAE (Bandarban) Deputy Director AKM Nazmul Haque.
The agriculture minister, earlier, inspected the production of improved varieties of seedlings of coffee and almond at the local Horticulture Center.
BSS/PR/SRH/MMA/1705HRS