UNB, Dhaka :
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday asked the ministries concerned, including that of Food, Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock, to work in a coordinated manner to ensure food security in the country.
“Coordinated initiatives have been taken to improve agriculture sector and food management aimed at ensuring food for all so that no one goes hungry,” she said.
The Prime Minister came up with the instruction in her introductory speech at a meeting with senior officials of the Ministry of Food at Bangladesh Secretariat.
Sheikh Hasina said the aim of her government is to develop Bangladesh as a poverty-free, self-reliant, secure and developed country.
To achieve the goal, she said, her government has been implementing various pragmatic programmes under the Food Ministry giving priority to food and nutrition, she said.
Referring to the country’s huge population and limited arable lands, the Prime Minister said her government has given importance to substantial research on agriculture and allocated adequate funds in this regard.
As a result, she said, agro scientists have been able to innovate hybrid crops as well as salinity, drought and flood-tolerant variety of rice. “This is how the country has managed to achieve food autarky.”
Hasina said the government has ensured the fair prices of agro produces through direct procurement of food grains from the farmers as well as improving the marketing system.
The government has decided to shift the production of rice, which needs massive irrigation, to the country’s southern region while that of wheat, maize and other crops which need less irrigation, to northern region, she said adding that emphasis has been given on crop diversification to ensure maximum production from limited lands.
Hasina said the government is giving importance to agro processing industries to protect huge quantity of seasonal food grains, fish and meat from perishing. “This how the entire country will be get industrialised in phases.”
Laying emphasis on nutrition for all, the Prime Minister asked the ministry to launch a campaign to familiarise balanced and nutritious food for all.
She said the success of Bangladesh in improving food security is widely acclaimed by the international community, and asked the Food Ministry officials and employees to keep up of the success.
Hasina said her government has given priority to food production, provide agricultural inputs, including fertilisers, seeds, and other equipment, at subsidised prices in addition to giving Tk 14,000 crore farm loan to the farmers annually and bringing the sharecroppers under the farm loan.
The food production has risen to 3.68 crore metric tonnes in 2014 amid the growing the country growing population and declining arable lands, and adverse impacts of climate change, she the officials.
To face any emergency, the Prime Minister said, the government has increased the food stock capacity to 20 lakh metric tonnes through constructing new food gowdowns and silos across the country and procuring food grains from the farmers, and the capacity will be increased further.
As a result of various pro-people steps of the government, including introduction of fair price card, VGD, VGF and OMS, the government has been able to remove extreme poverty, including ‘Monga’, lifting rural poor people up to a sustainable poverty-free level, Hasina added.
Food Minister Quamrul Islam delivered welcome speech while Secretary to the Minister Musceka Iffat moderated the programme.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday asked the ministries concerned, including that of Food, Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock, to work in a coordinated manner to ensure food security in the country.
“Coordinated initiatives have been taken to improve agriculture sector and food management aimed at ensuring food for all so that no one goes hungry,” she said.
The Prime Minister came up with the instruction in her introductory speech at a meeting with senior officials of the Ministry of Food at Bangladesh Secretariat.
Sheikh Hasina said the aim of her government is to develop Bangladesh as a poverty-free, self-reliant, secure and developed country.
To achieve the goal, she said, her government has been implementing various pragmatic programmes under the Food Ministry giving priority to food and nutrition, she said.
Referring to the country’s huge population and limited arable lands, the Prime Minister said her government has given importance to substantial research on agriculture and allocated adequate funds in this regard.
As a result, she said, agro scientists have been able to innovate hybrid crops as well as salinity, drought and flood-tolerant variety of rice. “This is how the country has managed to achieve food autarky.”
Hasina said the government has ensured the fair prices of agro produces through direct procurement of food grains from the farmers as well as improving the marketing system.
The government has decided to shift the production of rice, which needs massive irrigation, to the country’s southern region while that of wheat, maize and other crops which need less irrigation, to northern region, she said adding that emphasis has been given on crop diversification to ensure maximum production from limited lands.
Hasina said the government is giving importance to agro processing industries to protect huge quantity of seasonal food grains, fish and meat from perishing. “This how the entire country will be get industrialised in phases.”
Laying emphasis on nutrition for all, the Prime Minister asked the ministry to launch a campaign to familiarise balanced and nutritious food for all.
She said the success of Bangladesh in improving food security is widely acclaimed by the international community, and asked the Food Ministry officials and employees to keep up of the success.
Hasina said her government has given priority to food production, provide agricultural inputs, including fertilisers, seeds, and other equipment, at subsidised prices in addition to giving Tk 14,000 crore farm loan to the farmers annually and bringing the sharecroppers under the farm loan.
The food production has risen to 3.68 crore metric tonnes in 2014 amid the growing the country growing population and declining arable lands, and adverse impacts of climate change, she the officials.
To face any emergency, the Prime Minister said, the government has increased the food stock capacity to 20 lakh metric tonnes through constructing new food gowdowns and silos across the country and procuring food grains from the farmers, and the capacity will be increased further.
As a result of various pro-people steps of the government, including introduction of fair price card, VGD, VGF and OMS, the government has been able to remove extreme poverty, including ‘Monga’, lifting rural poor people up to a sustainable poverty-free level, Hasina added.
Food Minister Quamrul Islam delivered welcome speech while Secretary to the Minister Musceka Iffat moderated the programme.
