President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today (14 October) called for transforming Bangladesh's agriculture sector into a profitable and revenue generating sector.
"Bangladesh's agriculture is no longer a profitable sector...as farming could not generate sufficient income, farmers are leaving the profession. This sector must be made profitable one," he said.
The president said this at an exchange of views meeting during his visit to the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) here this morning.
He stressed expanding technologies for preserving and processing agricultural products, increasing incentives for farmers and ensuring better facilities for agricultural researchers.
"Farmers are being deprived of fair prices despite increased agricultural production due to inadequate preservation and processing facilities. To overcome the situation, technologies for preserving agricultural products need to be improved and the private sector must be involved in the process," he added.
The president said farmers in the northern region produce large quantities of potatoes but fail to get fair prices.
"Farmers are compelled to dump potatoes on roads, while seed potato prices rise later. Potato prices also increase significantly when the produce reaches Dhaka from production areas. Similar problem exist with other vegetables," he added.
In this context, he urged authorities concerned to extend cold storage facilities suitable for preserving potatoes, tomatoes, other vegetables and fruits for extended periods, along with adopting modern technologies.
Alongside increasing fruit production, he stressed the need to focus on preservation and processing so that farmers do not suffer losses due to excess production.
"Progress in marketing agricultural products would be possible if marketing, processing and preservation technologies could be made accessible to the private sector," he added.
The president highly praised researchers for their success in onion production.
He also expressed concern over the excessive use of chemical fertilisers on agricultural land. "Overuse of fertilisers was damaging the soil and deteriorating crop quality," he said.
He stressed raising farmers' awareness and ensuring the use of sustainable agricultural technologies.
Emphasising the need to ensure better facilities for agricultural researchers, the president said, "It will be difficult to attract talented students to the profession if agricultural scientists are not provided with adequate facilities."
He urged the agriculture minister to take initiatives to amend the pension-related regulations for agricultural scientists.
Recalling the contributions of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman to agricultural development, he said, "Various initiatives, including canal excavation programmes and the expansion of high-yielding rice varieties, have brought changes to the country's agriculture sector."
The president paid tribute to the valiant freedom fighters, agriculturists and agricultural scientists who made sacrifices during the country's Great War of Liberation in 1971.
He also paid homage to those who were martyred in the movements for democracy and against fascism and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
Agriculture Minister Mohammed Amin Ur Rashid, Gazipur-2 lawmaker Manjurul Karim Rony, Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Md. Selim Khan, BARI Director General Dr Md. Manjurul Kadir and Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) Director General Dr. Md. Rafiqul Islam were present on the occasion.
BARI Director General delivered the address of welcome while agriculture minister also spoke on the occasion.
Dhaka Divisional Commissioner, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Dhaka, Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of Gazipur were present among the administrative officials.
Upon the president's arrival at BARI at 10:15am, a smartly turned-out contingent of Bangladesh Police accorded him a guard of honour.
Later, he visited BARI's gene bank and various stalls and planted a tree of the BARI Kathal-6 variety on the premises of the Plant Genetic Resources Centre (PGRC).