48pc farmland still out of modern practice
Says FAO consultant
Forty eight percent of the country's farmlands, mainly in the hills, southern coast, haors and wetlands, were out of modern agricultural practices, said a consultant of UN Food and Agriculture Organization yesterday.
“This means that we have huge potential in enhancing agricultural production, provided, we frame an integrated plan and properly invest in these areas,” said the consultant, Dr Z Karim.
He was addressing a discussion, “Bangladesh's Agriculture: Achievements, Challenges and Potentials”, organised by Krishibid Institution, Bangladesh in the city's Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.
Only 42 percent of farmlands are under modern farming technologies developed by Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute and Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture, said the former agriculture secretary.
He added that 2.8 million hectares of land in the southern coastal region could be the base for the production of a substantial amount of crops and fisheries but it needs appropriate attention and a massive amount of investment.
In his keynote presentation, Planning Commission Member Dr MA Sattar Mandal said per capita domestic production of foodgrain went up from 165 kilogrammes in 1996-97 to 228 kg in 2010-11. Fish and livestock production also increased significantly, he said.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith said though the contribution of agriculture to the Gross Domestic Product declined in recent years, it is, by no means, a less importance sector.
The dairy sector requires more attention as milk production did not rise in the way foodgrains, meat and fish production did, he said, assuring to increase more allocation for research and manpower in the agricultural sector.
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