Agriculture Minister
Bangladesh becomes a major global fruit producer: Agri Minister
Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque on Monday said Bangladesh is among the top ten countries in global fruit production.
The fruit production rate in Bangladesh increased by 11.5 per cent in a year and the country achieved the second position in jackfruit production, seventh in mango production, eighth in guava, 11th in papaya, he said.
Razzaque was speaking at a view-exchange meeting with the journalists on the occasion of National Fruit Fair-2022, held at the Secretariat.
Also read: Fruits become costlier despite enough supply during Ramadan
A three-day National Fruit Fair-2022 will begin on June 16 at Krishibid Institution in the capital and it will end on June 18, he said.
The theme of this year’s National Fruit Fair-2022 is ‘Cultivating fruits round the year ensures money & nutrition’. The fair will remain open from 9 am to 9 pm every day.
People can purchase chemical-free fruits from the fair.
Currently, Bangladesh is producing 72 varieties of fruit, up from 56 in the previous year, said the minister.
In 2008-2009, nearly one crore tonnes of fruits were produced in the country but now it has increased to 1.22 crore tonnes, he said adding the fruit production growth is 22 per cent in the last 12 years.”
Mentioning that Bangladesh government is working to ensure safe and nutritious food for all, Razzaque laid importance on cultivation and increase the production of fruit to meet the demand of nutrition.
Nowadays, the demand of fruit for an adult person per capita in 200 grams but the available supply of it is 85 grams, he said.
Also read: Lalmonirhat man basks in success of dragon fruit cultivation
He also urged the fruit growers to produce strawberry, rambutan, dragon and avocado fruits alongside the local variety of fruits. Besides, the authorities concerned are working to expand the cashew nut and coffee cultivation in the hilly and northern parts of the country, he added.
In 2020-21 fiscal years, 790 metric tonnes of mango and eight tonnes of litchi were exported and 85% fruits including apple, malta and grapes were also imported in the country, said Razzaque.
Stung by import crises, govt to start producing edible oil
The government is working with a plan to produce 10 lakh tonnes of edible oil in the country, around 40 percent of its total demand, from the 2024-25 fiscal, Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque said Tuesday.
The Agriculture Ministry has a three-year term plan to reduce the dependence on oil import in the country and as part of the plan, 40 percent of the country’s total demand will be produced in the next fiscal, which will help to save almost Tk 10,000 crore, he said.
Razzaque revealed this information while talking to reporters after a view-exchange meeting at the Secretariat.
READ: Edible oil prices likely to drop in Bangladesh in line with global market: Commerce Minister
The annual demand for edible oil in Bangladesh is 24 lakh tonnes. Of the total demand, we have to import 90 percent of the total demand and recently a crisis of edible oil arose, as it was being imported from foreign countries at high price, he said.
To reduce dependence on the import of oil, we have taken the three-year term plan without reducing the production of paddy, he added.
Farmers do not want to produce oil-based crops in the country, as it doesn't make money.
He also expressed his hope to achieve the target following fair implementation of the plan.
As part of the three-year term plan, the government has set a target to bring 23.60 lakh hectares of land under mustard, sesame, peanut, soybean and sunflower production - almost thrice the existing 8.6 lakh hectares of land in the 2024-25 fiscal, the term minister said.
They also set a target to increase the production of oil to 10 lakh tonnes from the existing 3 lakh tonnes, he added.
No food shortage in country: Agriculture Minister
As the government has made food security its top priority, there is no food shortage in the country today, Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque said Friday.
He made these remarks at a program to inaugurate the 29th Annual Convention of Lions Club Bangladesh at a hotel in Dhaka.
Later in the evening, the minister addressed the closing ceremony of the centenary celebrations of Sri Sri Madhav Gauriya Math at Narinda in Dhaka as the chief guest.
Razzaque said that the people of the country are now living in peace and security and this must be maintained. The BNP, spurred on by religious fanaticism, wants to come to power through movement that would hold the people hostage. But it wouldn’t be tolerated and everyone should be aware of this, he added.
Calling on all to remain vigilant and united in maintaining religious harmony, the minister said the Awami League has never allowed communalism. The BNP, on the other hand, has always fed communalism in politics and persecuted religious minorities.
He said fundamentalists and opportunists are still active. "So we all need to be aware and united in maintaining religious harmony among people of all religions and castes," the agriculture minister added.
Sunamganj flood-hit farmers to get incentives: Agriculture Minister
The government will take steps to provide incentives to the flood-hit farmers in haor areas of Sunamganj, said Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque on Tuesday.
Intensive will be given to the affected farmers as Boro is the only crop in haor areas, he said adding the government will stand by the farmers to help them recoup losses.
The agriculture minister revealed this information while talking to reporters after attending a meeting of the National Coordinating and Advisory Committee on Fertilizers at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
Also read: Sunamganj farmers apprehend missing Boro harvest
Replying to a question Razzaque said, “ 300 millimeters rains were recorded in India in the two days and there is a possibility of more rains on April 14 and 15. We have no control on nature. But we are taking measures to tackle any kind of disaster.”
Every year, two crore tonnes of boro paddy are produced across the country and 12 lakh tonnes are produced in the haor areas which may get damaged and this is a matter of big concern for Bangladesh, he said.
Have enough fertilizer in stock, no shortage: Agriculture Minister
Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque on Monday told Parliament that there is sufficient stock of fertilizer in the country against the demand.
“The amount of stocked fertilizer is enough against the demand. There is no shortage,” he said, replying to a starred question from ruling party MP Nurunnabi Chowdhury (Bhola-3).
The Minister placed a statistic in the House over the stock of different fertilizers till March 22, 2022 and their demands in April, 2022.
The amount of stored urea is 475,000 metric tonnes (mts) against the possible demand of 70,000mts in April, as per the statistics.
Besides, the stock of TSP is 186,000 mts against the demand of 22,000mts, while MOP is 341,000mts against the demand of 21,000mts and DAP 389,000 mts against the demand of 51000mts.
Dr Razzaque said the production in the country’s different fertilizer factories and the import of fertilizers will also continue.
Read: Bangladesh, US relations to reach new heights: Blinken to Momen
It was estimated that the demand for urea is 2,600,000mts in the country in the 2021-22 fiscal year, while that for TSP is 750,000mts, MOP is 750,000mts and DAP is 1,650,000mts, he said.
Alongside the local production, BCIC, BADC and private firms are importing the necessary amount of fertilizers to the country, as per the estimated demand, the minister added.
Meanwhile, Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury told Parliament that some Tk 832 crore was collected as land development taxes in the last fiscal year 2020-21 through the land offices across the country.
The amount was only Tk 224 crore in 2008-09 fiscal year, he said replying to a scripted question from AL MP Mamunur Rashid Kiron (Noakhali-3).
50 lakh families to get rice at Tk 10 per kg: Minister
Agriculture Minister Mohammad Abdur Razzaque on Saturday said the government will distribute rice among 50 lakh poor families at Tk 10 per kg.
“Due to the Russia-Ukraine war the price of food grains in the country has increased a bit but we are giving all-out effort to keep the prices at a tolerable level,” the minister told reporters during a visit to Bangladesh Rice Research Institute at Gazipur.
Replying to a question Abdur Razzaqe said, “Prices of thin rice have increased a bit but not that of coarse rice. We are more worried about the poor people and so we are distributing rice at a cheaper price through Open Market Sale (OMS)”
Also read: Edible oil price to come down soon: Law Minister
The minister said as part of the government’s bid to control the prices tax has on edible oil and some other food items has been withdrawn.
“To make the agricultural sector profitable we are working to modernize cultivation of fish, poultry and paddy, “he added.
Qu Dongyu, Director General of Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, also visited the institute with the Minister.
Also read: Food prices soar to record high in Feb: UN
Govt to spend Tk. 226 crore to expand irrigation facilities in Sylhet to boost production
The government has taken a Tk 226-crore project to expand the irrigation facilities during Boro season in the Sylhet region, Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque said on Tuesday.
He said this while talking to reporters at Sylhet Circuit House after a visit to the agricultural tools factory in Sylhet.
“We are giving importance to rice production to meet growing demand,” he said adding that fallow lands will be brought under cultivation.
Read: Rice price is increasing beyond control despite having highest stock: Razzaque
The minister said the government is working to bring a revolutionary change in agriculture in Sylhet.
There are 12.50 lakh hectares of land in Sylhet, Sunamganj, Habiganj and Moulvibazar and of these, 7.63 lakh hectares are cultivable land, he said.
Turning to politics he hailed the efforts of the Search Committee formed to suggest names to the president for choosing a chief election commissioner and four other commissioners.
Razzak said that the committee has got more than enough names to suggest for a strong election commission.
Read: Fertiliser price manipulators face legal action: Razzaque
“Though BNP did not submit any names, it will be possible to form a strong commission with the names available with the search committee” he said.
“I hope the search committee will submit the list of the names of eligible people and we’ll get a strong Election Commission which will give a free and fair election as per the expectation of the nation and admired in the globe,” he said.
BNP is harming itself by boycotting elections. This was they are also harming the nation as there is no alternative to discussion and dialogue, said Razzaque, who is also a presidium member of Awami League.
IFAD for high value crop cultivation in Bangladesh
Country Director for IFAD Bangladesh Dr Arnoud Hameleers has said Bangladesh has taken a big step from being food deficient to food self-sufficient.
"To keep the sector active, we need dynamic activities, such as high value crop cultivation and its commercialization and increase the export of agricultural produces," he said.
Read: IFAD, govt start distributing HVG inputs, processing equipment to smallholder farmers
Dr Hameleers met Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque on Thursday and discussed achievements in the agricultural sector as well as challenges faced by rural and climate-vulnerable farmers.
Govt preparing roadmap to increase rice production to control price
The government is preparing a roadmap to boost rice production within two years to meet the increasing demand, said Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque on Thursday.
“This year aus, aman and boro paddy production reached record and government stock is at its highest yet price of rice has remained out of control,” he told journalists at the Secretariat after attending a meeting on increasing cultivation of inbred and super hybrid varieties of paddy to enhance production.
He said production has to be accelerated by cultivating very high-yielding inbred and super hybrid varieties to make the grain affordable to low-income people.
Also read: Rice price is increasing beyond control despite having highest stock: Razzaque
The minister said agricultural land is on decline and to increase production the newly invented high-yielding varieties will need to be taken to the field immediately.
The government has taken time-bound specific plans to increase aus, aman and boro rice production in the next season and expand their production in hill, haor and adverse areas, said Razzaque.
Newly innovated BRRI 89 and BRRI 92 boro varieties can yield around one maund of rice cultivated in a decimal.
To take it to fields immediately, a list will be prepared of the farmers who will produce these two varieties and their rice will be purchased as seed at higher prices than the market, he said.
To encourage the farmers, seeds of these varieties will be provided free of cost and fertiliser at subsidised rates, he added.
The minister urged Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and the Department of Agricultural Extension to create a more reliable statistic on rice demand, production and productivity to remove discrepancy for taking the right decision.
The minister said rice prices in the country are currently rising and unstable as in the global market the prices of food grains have increased.
Also read: OMS: Rice to be available at Tk 30 per kg from Thursday
Wheat prices which were between $230 to $280 per tonne has now increased to around $450, he said.
“Around 48 lakh tonnes of wheat were imported in the 2020-21 fiscal year but only 16 lakh tonnes were imported until January this fiscal year for its high prices”, he said.
“There are currently 10 lakh Rohingya citizens in the country and every year 22 to 24 lakh new population get added so demand and consumption is on rise hence the rice price is a bit high but there is no food crisis in the country”, said Razzaque.
Rice price is increasing beyond control despite having highest stock: Razzaque
The price of rice is increasing being control despite a record production and the highest stock in silos, Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque said on Sunday.
Since rice is the staple food the country will have to further boost the grain production at any cost, the minister said at a meeting to review the progress of his ministry’s Annual Development Programme at Bangladesh Secretariat.
“We are unable to control the price hike,” he told the meeting.
He urged scientists, agriculture extension officials and all others concerned to work sincerely for increasing food production.
Also read: Edible oil price may go up further: Tipu Munshi
He asked officials not to waste time in lobbying to become projects directors in the hope of earning extra money through corruption and irregularities.
“The project directors are recruited after considering professional skill, eligibility and leadership quality,” he said.
“Please do not go for lobbying to become a project director for taking illegal facilities through irregularities and corruption,” he said.
He said those who are in charge projects have to maintain transparency in spending funds.
Also read: Textile millers oppose plan for gas price hike
Razzaque also asked the officers concerned of the ministry to monitor the project work strictly.
According to the ministry, it has 71 projects in FY2021-2022 with a total allocation of Tk 2,928 crores. So far, 32 percent work has been implemented till December 2021, higher than the national ADP implementation of 24 per cent.