The approval came from the Cabinet meeting held at the Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. She joined the meeting virtually from Ganobhaban.

“The policy has been introduced to exercise good practices in all stages including breeding, collection, preservation, marketing and consumption,” Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam told reporters after the meeting.

The major objectives of the policy include ensuring sustainable production of the safe and nutritious crops, production of environment-tolerant crops and safety and welfare of the agricultural workers, he said.

Also read: Transforming agriculture: Bangladesh moving towards high-value crops

The Cabinet also approved in principle the draft of Kurigram Agricultural University Bill, 2020 to develop agriculture in the northern districts through research.

“It’ll be a prototype of the existing agricultural universities,” the Cabinet Secretary said, adding that now there are 153 universities – 46 public and 107 private —in the country.

Also read: None goes to bed hungry in Bangladesh: Agriculture Minister

Besides, the Cabinet okayed the draft speech of President Abdul Hamid to be delivered in the first session of Parliament in 2021.

The speech will focus mainly on 10 issues including the country's overall scenario and macroeconomic condition; the government's measures and successes in improvement of the country's socioeconomic status; activities and programmes taken in different sectors to implement the Vision 2021 and formulation of the Vision-2041; local and overseas employment; and implementation of different ICT-related development measures to build 'Digital Bangladesh'.

Also read: Agriculture in the spotlight in Covid-hit Bangladesh

The other five issues are expansion of social safety net programmes; the progress in the trial process of war criminals; the successes achieved regarding foreign relations; the birth centenary celebration of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and programmes taken for it; and administrative policies, strategies, development philosophy and guidelines for progress.

Also read: Agriculture gets second highest priority with Tk 22,489 cr

Moreover, the Cabinet was informed about the measures and workplans taken by the Local Government Division to check the Covid-19 infection.

The Cabinet was also informed about the introduction of an international prize titled “UNESCO-Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman International Prize for the Creative Economy.’

Also read: Govt banks on incentives to help agriculture get back on its feet

The prize will be awarded in every third year and the prize money is US$ 50,000, said the Cabinet Secretary.