Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked all concerned to keep up the growth, achieved in agriculture amid the coronavirus pandemic, to ensure food security alongside making efforts to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
“Though the coronavirus outbreak has put us back to some extent, we will have to maintain the growth that had been achieved in the agriculture amid the pandemic to ensure that our people don’t suffer from food crisis,” she said on Tuesday.
The prime minister said this while delivering her introductory speech at the weekly meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) through a videoconference from her official Ganabhaban residence in Dhaka in the morning.
Planning Minister MA Mannan was present at Ganabhaban, while other Ecnec members were connected from the NEC conference room at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
Hasina, also the Ecnec chairperson, spelled out various measures taken by her government in the last 11 years for agricultural development.
“We’ve been giving all sorts of cooperation to the farmers with reducing price of fertilizer, distributing quality seeds and other agricultural inputs to ensure food security,” she said.
She added that 20 million farmers have been provided with cards of agricultural input, while 10 million farmers have opened bank accounts at Tk10.
She said the price of fertilizer has been cut multiple times since the Awami League government assumed office. “The price of DAP fertilizer was Tk90 per kilogram during the BNP regime, but the farmers are now getting it at Tk12,” she said.
Hasina, also the president of ruling Awami League, mentioned that the leaders and activists of the party’s all associate organizations, including Chhatra League, Jubo League, Krishak League and Swechchhasebak League, help farmers harvest the Boro paddy.
She prayed for eternal peace of the departed souls of party leaders and activists who contracted Covid-19 while cutting the paddy and died.
The prime minister said: “It’s our duty to standby by the people. Other problems could be solved, if we make sure foods in houses.”
She reiterated that her government has been tirelessly working to achieve the SDGs despite the onslaught of the Covid-19 on the country’s economy.
“We’ve a target to achieve the SDGs. We have incorporated 17 goals of the SDGs in our eighth five-year plan, and started its execution to attain the SDGs… We will be able to achieve them, Insha Allah,” she said.
