Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque yesterday ruled out any possibility of famine in the country.

The Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) has started issuing health certificates to facilitate export of food products from the country.

Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam today said fish will be cultivated in Gulshan, Banani, and Baridhara lakes in the capital after preventing water pollution in the water bodies.

Bangladesh has barely tapped its potential in the global market for agricultural and agro-processed products as the country does not have an international certification system, according to Md Jashim Uddin, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).

The government will enact a law to stop polishing of rice as it loses its inherited nutritional value in the process, said Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder yesterday.

Bangladesh’s rice production may decline in marketing year (MY) 2022-23, which began in May, as severe floods damaged pre-monsoon crop Aus in the north and northeastern regions during planting, said a USDA report released on Monday. 

The government has set a target to procure 3 lakh metric tonnes of Aman paddy and 5 lakh MT of boiled rice in the upcoming season.

There is commotion in Nageshwari upazila of Kurigram district over the laying of black eggs by a native variety of duck. A duck rearing by one Ibrahim Ali in Nageshwari of Kurigram reportedly has laid two black-coloured eggs.

The cyclone Sitrang that swept over the country last week has caused a loss of around Tk 350 crore of 150,000 farmers in almost half of the country, the agriculture ministry said today.

The fallow lands of different government organisations, including sugar mills, will be brought under cultivation, Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque said today.

Riverine lands are naturally fertile and Panchagarh’s Shubhasujon village is no exception as the river Korotoa flows through it. In the past, people used to cultivate rice, nuts and sugarcane in these lands. But, after closure of the sugar mills, cultivation of sugarcane has gradually decreased. Now vast tea gardens lie on these lands. However, apart from the tea gardens, cultivation of different varieties of fruit is also increasing. With the rise of agricultural diversity our food habit is changing. Long ago, we used to see fruit as patient's diet, but gradually fruits have made their way to our breakfast and dinner table. Keeping the demand in mind, cultivation of various foreign fruits is also increasing. Cultivation of malta, guava, dragon, strawberry, pineapple, and avocado are increasing every day.

The government will give Tk 137 crore incentive to the farmers to encourage them grow winter crops, including wheat, maize, mustard, sunflower, onions and pulses, in the current year, the agriculture ministry said today.

The agricultural and cereal price indices remained stable over the past two weeks and are currently one percentage higher compared to two weeks ago, said the Food Security Update of the World Bank.

Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque today urged developed countries, international banks, donor agencies and private entrepreneurs to invest in Bangladesh’s agriculture sector, which will need Tk 15,000 crore in the next five years.

Bangladesh has 7.37 lakh tonnes of fertiliser in stock right now and the country will face no shortage of it in the coming months, Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation Chairman Shah Md Imdadul Haque today.

Water is everywhere in and around Bangladesh, yet the lack of freshwater is one of its most pressing concerns.

In an interview in 2010, Ramnivas Agarwala, owner of Annapurna Organic Fertiliser Factory in Nilphamari, said, "Soil is the mother. Soil says you give me 10kg of seeds and one maund of fertiliser. In return, I give you 50 maunds of paddy and 50 maunds of straw. Have you ever wondered where it comes from? It comes from my own body. You do one thing; you keep the paddy and give me the straw. You are my children. I wonder what will happen to you when I (soil) will die. So, keep me alive for your own sake.'' The philosophical thoughts from Ramnivas inspired me.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (October 12, 2022) called for boosting the country's farm products to help diversify the export basket and earn more in foreign exchange.

A total of 44 persons and organisations today (October 12, 2022) received Bangabandhu National Agriculture Award for their outstanding contribution to different fields of agriculture – for the Bangla years of 1425 and 1426.

After a long wait, Zillur Rahman was sworn in as the president of Bangladesh on February 12, 2009, a month after the swearing-in ceremony of the prime minister (PM) and the new cabinet. A few days later, a grand reception was held at Bangabhaban, where the president and the prime minister were surrounded by all the noted persons of the country.