Agriculture and Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid on Friday stressed the need to ensure safe, nutritious and quality food alongside increasing agricultural production, warning that excessive use of pesticides can increase the risks of food contamination and thus may leave serious effects on the public health.
“Excessive pesticides are often used on crops in the hope of obtaining higher yields. This increases the risk of food contamination and can have serious negative impacts on public health. To address this situation, it is necessary to raise farmers’ awareness and strengthen safe food production systems,” he said.
The minister made the remarks while addressing an event organised to mark World Food Day 2026 at the auditorium of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council in the city’s Farmgate area.
He said increasing food production alone was not enough, and safe, nutritious and quality food must be ensured by taking people's health and nutritional needs into account.
Alongside the global food crisis, ensuring food quality and nutrition is becoming increasingly important, he said.
The minister said food habits among young people around the world were changing, with growing interest in vegetables and fruits alongside rice. In this context, he stressed the need to change agricultural production patterns and planning to increase the supply of nutrient-rich food.
The minister also said the government was working to ensure fair prices for farmers' products and protect farmers' interests.
He said initiatives are being taken to develop data-driven planning and effective management to determine how many agricultural products should be grown in each season and assess market demand. Such measures would help improve coordination between agricultural production and market demand, he added.
About the future of agriculture, the minister said larger number of young people is becoming interested in the agriculture sector. By making effective use of modern technology, research and innovation, agriculture could be made more productive, profitable and sustainable, he added.
Agriculture Secretary Salim Khan chaired the event, while Chief Scientific Officer of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Dr Khondoker Md Iftekharuddaula presented the keynote paper, said a PID handout.