Food autarky by 2013: PM Sheikh Hasina

July 26,2010

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said her government is aiming to make Bangladesh fully self-sufficient in terms of the production, distribution and consumption of food by 2013. The Prime Minister further said Bangladesh will not only attain food autarky, by scaling up production it will also be able to export food to many countries. “Bangladesh will be self-sufficient in food once again,” said Hasina, addressing a function arranged on the occasion of distribution of ‘Bangabandhu National Agriculture Award 2010’ in the city’s Osmani Auditorium on Monday morning. She also called on the country’s scientists to come up with new varieties of crops which are adaptable to the changed global climate. Sheikh Hasina said flash floods, delayed and heavy rains, long-standing drought, excessive temperature, and other natural hazards are taking place due to climate change. “Now you, the scientists have to invent such crops which will protect our agriculture and farmers,” the Prime Minister said. On food security, Sheikh Hasina said her government is strongly committed to ensuring food security for every citizen and that’s why agriculture has been given the top most priority. She was highly critical of the BNP-Jamaat alliance as food production decreased during its regime alarmingly. “In fact, the four-party alliance does not want to make the nation self-sufficient,” she said. The Prime Minister underscored the need for flourishing of agriculture industries and food processing industries in the country for removing employment problems and increasing the income of the mass people. Sheikh Hasina said already the country’s scientists in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institution (IRRI) have invented salinity-resilient rice. “I think if we can apply this variety in the coastal areas, our food production will increase to a large extent,” the Prime Minister said.