Bangladesh aims to reduce agricultural imports, says agriculture minister

Agriculture and Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid has said the government aims to gradually reduce dependence on agricultural imports by increasing domestic production and transforming Bangladesh into an agricultural export-oriented country.

“The government is working to ensure fair prices for farmers and turn agriculture from an import-dependent sector into an export-oriented one. We will gradually move away from importing agricultural products by increasing domestic production,” he said.

The minister made the remarks during an exchange of views with farmers and officials while inspecting mango and litchi orchards, modern ginger cultivation, summer green chilli and tomato production areas, and irrigation projects of the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj on Thursday, according to a press release.

He said farmers in the Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj regions were hardworking and committed to agriculture. Besides mango production, the region had also made significant progress in paddy and vegetable cultivation.

The minister said the government would take initiatives to expand ginger cultivation on unused land between mango trees to make better use of agricultural resources.

He said that Bangladesh imports around 150,000 tonnes of ginger annually. Expanding ginger cultivation in vacant spaces in mango orchards could reduce import dependence while providing farmers with additional income.

He instructed agricultural officials to assess soil suitability and take necessary measures in this regard.

Regarding irrigation, the minister said initiatives would be expanded to use river water for agricultural purposes to reduce pressure on groundwater resources.

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He said a major project in this regard had already been submitted to him and had been forwarded for the next stage of the approval process.

The minister also said the government was exploring the possibility of establishing cold storage facilities in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj to preserve mangoes.

Extending the storage period of mangoes would help prevent sharp price falls during the peak harvesting season and ensure fair prices for farmers, he added.

Referring to the country's progress towards self-sufficiency in onion production, the minister said the government was also placing special emphasis on increasing the production of ginger, garlic and monsoon-season tomatoes.

He said initiatives would be taken from the next season to expand monsoon tomato cultivation.

Establishing Bangladesh as an agricultural product-exporting country instead of relying on imports remains a key government objective, he added.

Senior officials of the local administration and relevant government departments, BMDA representatives and farmers were present at the meeting.