He said these things as the chief guest at a district workshop on formulating the annual work plan for fiscal year 2026-2027 and evaluating the implementation of the previous year under the 'Sylhet Region Agricultural Development Project through Modern Technology', organised by the Department of Agricultural Extension, held on Saturday at the conference room of Hotel Metro in Sylhet city.
The minister said there is still a significant amount of fallow and single-crop land in the Sylhet region. Due to its geographical location, water accumulates in haor and low-lying areas for a certain period of the year. If drainage systems can be arranged in these areas, many lands can be brought under cultivation. Similarly, where lands remain uncultivated for a certain period due to lack of irrigation, if irrigation facilities can be ensured, single-crop land can be converted into double-crop land and double-crop land into triple-crop land. Excavation of canals can be an effective solution for draining waterlogged water and ensuring irrigation water during the dry season.
He cited the success of watermelon cultivation in Sylhet as an example of the potential of new and non-traditional agricultural products, saying that by producing early watermelon, Sylhet farmers are getting a special advantage in the country's market.
Khondoker Abdul Moqtadir said the potential for beet cultivation could be explored in cold-prone areas including Moulvibazar and Sreemangal in Sylhet. Since beet can be produced in a short time, there is also scope to cultivate other crops alongside it on the same land. Pilot projects should be undertaken to assess the potential of such agricultural products.
He also said that a special programme would be arranged in Sylhet next week involving the Director General of the Department of Agricultural Extension, the Agriculture Secretary and other concerned officials to discuss the future potential of agriculture and livestock in Sylhet division, undertaking area-based projects, training farmers, supplying agricultural inputs and government cooperation.
He said that besides industrial and infrastructure development, a large part of employment and economic activities in the rural areas of the country is dependent on agriculture. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure maximum production and returns by ensuring the maximum use of every agricultural land. If productivity can be increased, the country's overall food production can be increased many times over, and there is an opportunity to make Bangladesh a stronger producer and exporter of food, especially rice, in the future.
The minister further said that farmers who take risks in cultivating new crops are showing the way to new possibilities in agriculture. Those who have taken risks in cultivating new crops including watermelon and onion are courageous farmers, and Sylhet's agriculture must be advanced along the path shown by them. He called for utilising the potential of Sylhet's agriculture through training farmers, expanding modern technology, supplying agricultural inputs and area-based planning.
The workshop was presided over by Sylhet Divisional Commissioner Md. Moshiur Rahman and was attended by Dr. Md. Mosharraf Hossain, Additional Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension; Rezaul Hasan Kais Lodi, Chairman of Sylhet Development Authority; Abul Kaher Chowdhury Shamim, Administrator of Sylhet Zila Parishad; Badruzzaman Selim, Vice-Chairman of Sylhet Red Crescent Society; Emdad Hossain Chowdhury, General Secretary of Sylhet Metropolitan BNP; Project Director Md. Rakib Uddin, along with agricultural officials from various levels of Sylhet division, farmers and media workers.
