“The production of food needs to be increased further to overcome potential food crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The unprecedented success in food production and the high growth in production should not stop. Steps are being taken in this regard,” he said.
The agriculture minister was speaking at an online meeting with concerned officials of his ministry on Monday.
Already the production target of Aush and Aman paddy cultivation has been exceeded, and seeds, fertiliser and other incentives of the government that farmers rely on have been provided to them on time, to avoid any crisis in the upcoming Aman and Robi season, he said.
The Agriculture Ministry is working relentlessly to boost the rate of growth in food production such that there is no scope for food shortage in the country, he added.
During the meeting, Dr Razzaque said the government has set a target to cultivate Aman paddy on about 59 lakh hectares of land, with a production target of 1.54 lakh tonnes of paddy.
The government has taken an initiative to ensure the farmers cultivate a high yielding variety of Aman, for which quality seed, balanced fertilizer, and adequate irrigation at reduced cost has already been provided to them.
Secretary to the Agriculture Ministry Mohammad Nasiruddin conducted the meeting.