Staff Reporter :
Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque on Sunday said that no alternative to using latest and modern technology to increase agricultural production in line with the growing population of the country.
“Agricultural production has been increased by the combination of the talent of the farmers, agronomists and agricultural scientists day by day. But, there is no alternative to using the latest and best-in-class technology to increase agricultural production in line with the country’s population growth,” Razzaque said.
The agriculture minister made the comment while addressing a seminar on “GMO Crops: Policy and Practice in South Asia” at North South University Auditorium in the capital. Nobel Laureate Sir Richard John Roberts presented the key-note paper in the seminar.
Razzaque said, “Accurate knowledge of the potential of advanced technologies like Genetically Modified Organism (GMO), good thinking and well- controlled application of that knowledge are needed to protect food security and dissemination of that knowledge is also very important.”
“Currently, the total amount of GMO crop production in developing countries has been exceeded the developed countries and our government supports the biotechnology and GMO technique,” he added.
Biotechnology is the manipulation of living organisms or their components, through genetic engineering, to produce useful — usually commercial — products such as pest resistant crops, new bacterial strains or novel pharmaceuticals.
“There are some misconceptions among people about genetically modified organisms. These should be removed,” he said.
“Genetically modified crops are completely safe and these have a significant contribution to global agricultural production. Now it has started to contribute to our country’s agriculture,” the minister added.
Bangladesh is ranking 29th countries in the world by introducing ‘BT Brinjal’ crop, the only GMO crop introduced in 2013, said the minister.
“Fruit and Shoot Borer (FSB) is the worst insect for the brinjal crops cultivation, but the FSB could not do any harm to the GMO modified brinjal,” he said.
In South Asia, India, Pakistan and Myanmar have been growing GM product – cotton for many years but Bangladesh is first country to introduce a GM food crop till date. However, consumers in the entire region have been exposed to GM food products for over two decades as majority of them prepare daily meals with imported GM soybean.
India readies Bt brinjal and GM mustard for quite some time now but releases are stalled for conservative regulatory procedures and opposition from green groups.
At least three more biotech products – late blight resistant potato, Bt cotton and vitamin-A enriched Golden Rice – are in the pipeline for their commercial releases in Bangladesh.
Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque on Sunday said that no alternative to using latest and modern technology to increase agricultural production in line with the growing population of the country.
“Agricultural production has been increased by the combination of the talent of the farmers, agronomists and agricultural scientists day by day. But, there is no alternative to using the latest and best-in-class technology to increase agricultural production in line with the country’s population growth,” Razzaque said.
The agriculture minister made the comment while addressing a seminar on “GMO Crops: Policy and Practice in South Asia” at North South University Auditorium in the capital. Nobel Laureate Sir Richard John Roberts presented the key-note paper in the seminar.
Razzaque said, “Accurate knowledge of the potential of advanced technologies like Genetically Modified Organism (GMO), good thinking and well- controlled application of that knowledge are needed to protect food security and dissemination of that knowledge is also very important.”
“Currently, the total amount of GMO crop production in developing countries has been exceeded the developed countries and our government supports the biotechnology and GMO technique,” he added.
Biotechnology is the manipulation of living organisms or their components, through genetic engineering, to produce useful — usually commercial — products such as pest resistant crops, new bacterial strains or novel pharmaceuticals.
“There are some misconceptions among people about genetically modified organisms. These should be removed,” he said.
“Genetically modified crops are completely safe and these have a significant contribution to global agricultural production. Now it has started to contribute to our country’s agriculture,” the minister added.
Bangladesh is ranking 29th countries in the world by introducing ‘BT Brinjal’ crop, the only GMO crop introduced in 2013, said the minister.
“Fruit and Shoot Borer (FSB) is the worst insect for the brinjal crops cultivation, but the FSB could not do any harm to the GMO modified brinjal,” he said.
In South Asia, India, Pakistan and Myanmar have been growing GM product – cotton for many years but Bangladesh is first country to introduce a GM food crop till date. However, consumers in the entire region have been exposed to GM food products for over two decades as majority of them prepare daily meals with imported GM soybean.
India readies Bt brinjal and GM mustard for quite some time now but releases are stalled for conservative regulatory procedures and opposition from green groups.
At least three more biotech products – late blight resistant potato, Bt cotton and vitamin-A enriched Golden Rice – are in the pipeline for their commercial releases in Bangladesh.
