State Minister urges boosting capacity for livestock vaccine production

National

Staff Reporter

Published: Wednesday, 04 November 2026

State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Sultan Saluddin Tuku has called for reducing dependence and achieving domestic production capacity, noting that currently 85 percent of the country's demand for vaccines in the livestock sector has to be imported. He said this in his speech as chief guest at the opening ceremony of the 'Annual Research Review Workshop-2026' organized by the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI) today, Wednesday (November 4).

The State Minister said there is no alternative to producing safe animal food to ensure public health. The indiscriminate use of antibiotics in this sector is creating a serious risk. Therefore, he emphasized raising awareness among marginal farmers to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR). At the time, praising the innovations of BLRI scientists, he said the institute has already handed over two domestic vaccines to the Department of Livestock Services.

Earlier, while talking to journalists about the garment workers' movement, the State Minister said that although the workers returned to work after the formation of the minimum wage board, a certain side is trying to destabilize the situation. Law enforcement agencies are taking necessary measures by identifying the troublemakers. The event, presided over by BLRI Director General Dr. Shakila Faruque, was attended by Member of Parliament for Dhaka-1 Constituency Khondaker Abu Ashfaq, Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Md. Yasin Ferdous Murad, and Director General of the Department of Livestock Services Md. Shahjahan Khan, among other officials.