RAJSHAHI, April 1, 2017 (BSS) – State Minister for Foreign Affairs
Shahriar Alam said the country has attained a remarkable success in
agriculture sector under the present government.
“In the last eight years, the country witnessed huge food production and
it is now a food exporting one,” he said while addressing a farmers gathering
on Friday evening as the chief guest.
Channel i organised the meeting styled “Agriculture Budget, Farmers
Budget” at Kosba High School playground under Paba upazila in the district.
Ayen Uddin, MP, Zila Parishad Chairman Muhammad Ali Sarker and Chairman of
Barind Multipurpose Development Authority Dr Akram Hossain Chowdhury also
spoke while Director of Channel i moderated the discussion.
Shahriar Alam said the government has attached highest priority to the
agriculture sector and added that the field level officials and researchers
should take the responsibilities of reaching the government’s services to the
farmers’ doorsteps.
The role of agriculture sector is vital towards making the country’s
economy functional alongside ensuring food security. He called upon the field
level agriculture officials to discharge their duties with utmost sincerity
and honesty.
Referring to the present water-stress condition, he called for promoting
less-irrigation crops like wheat, pulses and oil-seeds in the drought-prone
brained areas alongside habituating the farmers with using granular urea.
Taking part in the discussion, many farmers emphasized on giving top
priority to the region’s agriculture and agri-processing in the forthcoming
national budget of fiscal 2017-18.
They viewed that enhanced priority and subsidy to the sector of agriculture
along with its subsectors and income generation could be the effective means
of boosting its field level outputs leading to food security.
To take the agriculture sector and its value addition business more
advanced, there is no alternative to an investment-friendly atmosphere for
attracting the entrepreneurs towards agro-processing industries in the region
as its economy is completely dependent on agriculture, they mentioned.