Bangladesh can be top veg grower thru proper research

Bangladesh can achieve the first position in vegetable production in the world if it can advance with proper research and planning, said Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury yesterday.

Presently, the country ranks fourth in vegetable production, the minister told a views exchange meeting with her ministry officials posted in Chittagong and Rangamati at Chittagong Circuit House in the city.

Matia said many of the country's fruits, including guava of Patiya in Chittagong, could be exported abroad if the production capacity was improved through research.

She told agricultural scientists, "We need safe harvest in short time to save crops from natural calamities." The country is self-sufficient in rice production, but not in pulse and some other crops, she said.