Agriculture Minister Md Abdus Shahid has said that the agriculture sector is going forward due to the sacrifices of some talented persons of the country.
He termed these persons “Captains of the Ship” and said that the Agriculturally Important Persons (AIP) award will increase the fame and honour of these persons in the society.
The minister said this at an event to honor 22 individuals as AIP for their outstanding contributions to the development of the country's agriculture sector in 2021.
He handed over the awards to the recipients at the event held at the Osmani Memorial auditorium in the capital on Sunday.
State Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury was present at the event as the special guest.
Speaking about the award, Agriculture Minister Md Abdus Shahid said that it will further encourage the recipients to engage in agriculture with passion. He said that the current government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is improving the quality of life of the country's farmers and at the same time is improving the respect for them in the society.
The minister said that the PM gives the highest priority to the welfare of the country's farmers and the development of agriculture. No matter how many problems there are in providing the desired budget allocation, the premier is always allocating necessary funds to agriculture. To push agriculture forward, the prime minister has always prioritized agriculture in the national budget, continuing huge subsidies.
Wahida Akhter, secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, at the event said that there is a scope for honoring 45 persons with AIP award in an year. This time the authorities have scrutinized the work of several candidates and finalized 22 from them.
Earlier, the government had honoured 13 persons with AIP award in 2020 for the first time. The selection for the AIP for 2022 and 2023 is now underway. The AIP policy was formulated in 2019.
Noted media personality and one of the recipients, Shykh Siraj, in his reaction said: “I am very happy after receiving this award.”
According to him, this award will honor those who have ensured the country’s food security and were once ignored.
Referring to the prime minister's interest in agriculture, he said that Sheikh Hasina has deep interest and love for agriculture.
“She is not just talking about using every inch of land, but is also engaged in farming in her backyard,” he added.