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‘Maintaining self-sufficiency in food is a challenge’

Atikur Rahman from BAU || risingbd.com

Published: 12:12, 30 May 2021  
‘Maintaining self-sufficiency in food is a challenge’

Agriculture Minister Dr. Abdur Razzak yesterday said that the country is self-sufficient in food today. However, maintaining self-sufficiency in food is a big challenge. Agricultural scientists need to be partners in tackling the challenge of maintaining food self-sufficiency.

“To move forward in this struggle, agronomists have to be charioteers. The nation needs to be guided through more productive improved breeds of crops, improved poultry and cattle breeds, and advanced technology innovations. Then it will be possible to meet the challenge of maintaining self-sufficiency in food,” he adds.

He came up with the comments while speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the annual workshop on research progress of Bangladesh Agricultural University Research System (BAURES) on Saturday (May 29).

The two-day workshop titled 'Transforming Agricultural Research on Corona Impact in Bangladesh' was held virtually at 10 am.

The Planning Commission General Economics Department Member (Senior Secretary) Prof. Dr. Shamsul Alam and Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Mezbahul Islam were present as the special guests in the function.

At the inaugural ceremony of the workshop, Global Research Impact Recognition Award-2021 was given to the best 16 researchers based on H-Index. In addition, 6 farm-level entrepreneurs have been given ‘Ashraf Ali Khan Smriti Krishi Puraskar-2021' for contributing to agricultural production using modern technology in agriculture.

Professor Shamsul Alam said that, agriculture has a big role in the GDP of Bangladesh. In the 8th Five Year Plan of the country, the total growth of agriculture is required at four percent, but it is 3.2 percent. But despite the UN's threat of famine due to the Corona epidemic, our country's agricultural inflation has not reached the limit.

It is a great success for us. However, national economic stability is not possible without the economic stability of agriculture. And this requires extensive research in agriculture. 5 percent of the agricultural budget has been allocated for agricultural research which needs to be fully spent.

It may be mentioned that the results of 48 projects completed in the midst of the Corona epidemic will be presented in 19 parallel sessions on Sunday, the second day of the workshop. Founded on August 30, 1964, BAURES has completed 2,620 research projects. Currently, more than five hundred research projects are underway.

BAU/Atikur Rahman/Mahfuz