Progress of the 180-day program satisfactory; country will gradually move away from import dependence: Agriculture Minister

Today, Tuesday, the agriculture minister said these things while talking to journalists at the meeting room of the Ministry of Agriculture.

The minister said, 'There is currently no fertilizer crisis in the country; rather, there is surplus fertilizer stock compared to demand. This time, the fertilizer stock is also higher than last year. Those who are creating confusion by talking about an artificial fertilizer crisis are part of a planned conspiracy.'

Highlighting the development of the agriculture sector and the progress of various government targets, the agriculture minister said that 'Krishak Card' will be distributed gradually to 3.5 lakh to 4 lakh farmers every month. Already, a database of about 14 lakh farmers has been prepared on a pilot basis.

He said that in the last six months, against the target of planting 25 lakh tree saplings, more than 24 lakh 18 thousand saplings have been planted. During the same period, against the target of digging 478.9 kilometers of canals, 475.61 kilometers of canal digging has been completed.

Regarding onion production and storage, the agriculture minister said, 'This year, no onions have had to be imported so far. Earlier, onions used to rot and spoil due to lack of storage. Now, with the help of technology, onions can be stored for up to six months. In the future, infrastructure facilities will be built to store 3 lakh tonnes of onions.'

Highlighting the goal of achieving self-sufficiency as an agricultural country, Amin Ur Rashid said, 'The main goal of the government is that no agricultural commodity should have to be imported from abroad in the future. To that end, initiatives have been taken to expand storage facilities alongside increasing production.'

He said initiatives have been taken to gradually move away from import dependence in the case of jute seeds, onion seeds and ginger.

Regarding increasing food production and technological innovation, the agriculture minister said that cultivation of a new rice variety named 'Bri 118' will begin from next year. This variety can be planted 10 to 15 days earlier than the usual time in the haor region. As a result, the variety will play an important role in protecting crops from early floods.

Regarding the initiative to reduce farmers' production costs, he said, 'Farmers' irrigation costs are a big concern. Plans have been made to bring all pumps used for irrigation in the country under solar power. As an initial step, preparation has already been completed to operate 60 to 62 thousand pumps on solar power.'

At this time, Agriculture Secretary Md. Selim Khan was present.