President calls for making agriculture profitable

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday called for transforming Bangladesh’s agriculture sector into a profitable and revenue-generating industry to prevent farmers from leaving the profession.
“Bangladesh’s agriculture is no longer a profitable sector. As farming cannot generate sufficient income, farmers are leaving the profession. This sector must be made profitable,” he said.
The President made the remarks at an exchange of views meeting during his visit to the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) in Gazipur this morning.
He stressed expanding agricultural product preservation and processing technologies, increasing incentives for farmers and ensuring better facilities for agricultural researchers.
Despite rising agricultural production, farmers often fail to get fair prices due to inadequate preservation and processing facilities, he said, calling for improved technologies and greater private-sector involvement.
Farmers in the northern region produce large quantities of potatoes but are often forced to dump their produce on roads when prices fall, while seed potato prices rise later, he said.
Potato prices also increase significantly when the produce reaches Dhaka from production areas. Similar problems affect other vegetables, he added.
The President urged the authorities concerned to expand cold storage facilities suitable for preserving potatoes, tomatoes, other vegetables and fruits for longer periods and to adopt modern technologies.
He also emphasised the need to improve fruit preservation and processing alongside increasing production to prevent farmers from suffering losses during periods of excess supply.
Making marketing, processing and preservation technologies accessible to private businesses would help improve the marketing of agricultural products, he said.
The President praised agricultural researchers for their success in onion production but expressed concern over the excessive use of chemical fertilisers.
Overuse of fertilisers damages soil and reduces crop quality, he said, stressing the need to raise farmers’ awareness and promote sustainable agricultural practices.
He also called for better facilities for agricultural researchers, warning that talented students would be difficult to attract to the profession without adequate support for agricultural scientists.
The President urged Agriculture Minister Mohammed Amin Ur Rashid to take initiatives to amend pension-related regulations for agricultural scientists.
Recalling the contributions of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman to agricultural development, he said initiatives such as canal excavation programmes and the expansion of high-yielding rice varieties had brought significant changes to the sector.
He paid tribute to the freedom fighters, agriculturists and agricultural scientists who sacrificed their lives during the 1971 Liberation War. He also honoured those killed in movements for democracy and against fascism and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Agriculture Minister Mohammed Amin Ur Rashid, Gazipur-2 lawmaker Manjurul Karim Rony, Agriculture Secretary Md Selim Khan, BARI Director General Dr Md Manjurul Kadir and Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Director General Dr Md Rafiqul Islam attended the meeting.
The BARI director general delivered the welcome address, while the agriculture minister also spoke.
Dhaka Divisional Commissioner, Dhaka Deputy Inspector General of Police, Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Gazipur Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police were among the officials present.
The President arrived at BARI at 10:15am, where a smartly turned-out Bangladesh Police contingent accorded him a guard of honour.
Later, he visited BARI’s gene bank and various stalls and planted a BARI Kathal-6 jackfruit sapling on the premises of the Plant Genetic Resources Centre.