BSS, Sylhet :
President M Abdul Hamid on Thursday asked agriculture and veterinary universities to conduct research keeping people’s food demand and security in mind by 2100.
“You must work together to ensure food and nutrition security . . . Play a leading role to build a ‘Sonar Bangla’, the long-cherished dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” the President told new graduates at the first convocation of Sylhet Agricultural University (SAU) on its campus.
The President, also the Chancellor of the university, said Bangladesh imbued with the spirit of Liberation War and ideals of Bangabandhu is contributing a lot to socio-economic sector and it has now set an instance of development and progress across the globe in line with Vision-2021 and Vision 2041.
Referring to tremendous development in country’s agricultural sector, the President lauded the contribution of the government, experts, researchers, agriculturists and farmers for inventing technology-based environment-friendly agricultural products.
Abdul Hamid called for ensuring fair price of agricultural products to continue the development trend in the agriculture sector.
In the era of globalization and knowledge-based economy, President Hamid said a university must survive in the global competition by dint of its individual characteristic and also ensuring institutional relevance and quality.
Mentioning that the greater Sylhet region is a beautiful natural landscape having huge potential area, President Hamid called for increasing the production through optimum utilization of sustainable agri-technologies. “Huge potentials are available in water bodies, fertile land and vast open fields here. Sylhet Agricultural University has the opportunity to carry out huge research activities,” he observed, wishing continued success and progress of the university.
At the outset of his speech, Abdul Hamid paid rich tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, other patriotic people who embraced martyrdom during the 1971 Liberation War, 1952 Language Movement and other democratic movements of the country.
Dr. Mohammed Farashuddin, former Bangladesh Bank Governor and Chairperson, Board of Trustees of East West University (EWU), delivered the convocation speech while Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Professor Abdul Mannan, SAU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr M Golam Shahi Alam, among others, also spoke on the occasion.
