United News of Bangladesh

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday stressed the need for greater awareness among farmers and other stakeholders to curb the excessive and indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides in agriculture. “Excessive and unnecessary use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides is causing long-term and severe damage to soil health, the environment and public health,” he said when a delegation from Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University paid a courtesy call on him at Bangabhaban. President's Press Secretary Md Sarwar Alam briefed reporters after the meeting. He urged agricultural universities and relevant institutions to work in a coordinated manner to raise farmers’ awareness about the harmful effects of excessive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. During the meeting, President Fakhrul stressed the effective field-level application of research-based technologies, safe food production and environment-friendly agricultural practices to build a sustainable and modern agricultural system. He also called for closer coordination among agricultural education, research and extension activities. The delegation, led by Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md Abdul Latif, briefed the President on the overall activities of the university. Secretaries to the President’s Office were present at the meeting.