Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque on Thursday said the government is making its all-out strides to make the country self-reliant in food and nutrition.
"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government is working to ensure safe and nutritious food for all as per its electoral pledge," he told the inaugural ceremony of a three-day National Fruits Fair-2022 on the premises of Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB) at Khamarbari in the capital.
Razzaque said: "An adult, who needs 200-gram fruits per day, only gets 55-60 grams of fruit on average. We will have to raise the ratio to 200 grams, but it is challenging to ensure that for 17 crore people. However, the government is working to make the country self-reliant in food and nutrition," he said.
He hoped the government would be able to make a revolution in fruit production like as it did in rice production.
Noting that indigenous food will never be extinct, the agriculture minister said germplasm of native fruits is being conserved.
Agriculture Secretary Md Sayedul Islam chaired the fair, while Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council Executive Chairman Sheikh Md Bakhtiar, Agriculture Extension Department Director General Benazir Alam also spoke on the occasion.
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute CSO Babul Chandra Sarker presented the keynote paper at the seminar.
He said 78 types of fruits are being cultivated in the country but 60% of the total produced fruits are mangoes, bananas, and jackfruits.
The fruit fair will continue till June 18 from 9am to 9pm every day with the theme "Yearlong fruit cultivation brings both money and nutrition".
It will remain open for all. Visitors will be able to buy chemical-free fruits. Some 67 government and private institutions are taking part in the fair.
Earlier, the minister laid the foundation stone of "Mrittika Bhaban" of Soil Resource Development Institute on Khamarbari road.
