Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today renewed her call to increase food production and to utilize uncultivated land for farming – to protect Bangladesh from the looming global food crisis.

“We must stop wasting food, and produce our own food… If we all work together, Bangladesh will not face the impact (of the global food crisis). It’s my firm belief,” she said.

The premier was addressing a programme arranged at Dhaka’s Osmani Memorial Auditorium on the occasion of World Food Day 2022. She joined the event through a virtual platform from her official residence Ganobhaban.

“I would like to request all not to waste any food, and increase food production. Cultivate whatever land you possess. We’re seeing signs of an impending global food crisis. We must protect Bangladesh from this looming disaster,” she said.

She said her government has been working to ensure nutritious, balanced and safe foods in Bangladesh. Since the demand for such food is growing in the world, Bangladesh can be benefited through raising production, she said.

Read: Grow more food, save money to avert famine in Bangladesh: PM Hasina

This year, World Food Day was observed with the theme “Leave No One behind. Better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life,” across the world on Sunday (October 16).

In order to ensure safe food, the prime minister said, the government has already allocated 5 acres of land in Purbachal – on the outskirts of Dhaka – for setting up the head office of Safe Food Authority, a central laboratory, and a divisional laboratory.

She said the government also has plans to set up eight reference laboratories in eight divisions. Besides, a Safe Food Authority hotline has been launched, she added.

With an objective to boost the export of agricultural products, work on formulation of ‘Good Agriculture Practice’ is going on, said the prime minister.

Noting that the government is putting importance on the agro-processing industry, she asked all to take steps for development of the industry, to boost export of processed goods alongside meeting local demands.

She said the Russia-Ukraine war, sanctions and counter-sanctions made the transportation cost of fertilizer and food very high. Many developed countries are also struggling to face the crisis, she said.

Read: Save money, produce food to face tough days ahead: PM

The PM said now the researchers are developing many salinity-tolerant, drought-tolerant, flood-tolerant and high-yielding crop varieties and different technologies in the agriculture sector. “We’re now seeing results from the agro-research which are being conducted,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said once there were many fallow lands in the country, but her government has been able to bring some 80,000 hectares of fallow land under cultivation.

She said her government provided agricultural input assistance cards to about two crore farmers. Now, farmers can receive subsidy directly by opening a bank account at the cost of Tk 10.

To exchange information with the farmers, the government has set up different channels including Krishi Batayan, Krishak Bandhu Phone Sheba (3331), Krishak Janala and Krishi Call Center (16123) in line with her announcement made in the 2008 election manifesto to turn the country into ‘Digital Bangladesh’.

She said the government is putting emphasis on agricultural mechanization and the use of technology in every sector keeping the 4th industrial revolution in mind.

She said the government is working on six thematic areas to achieve agriculture, food and nutrition security. The six areas are: agricultural research and development; supply of agricultural inputs; agricultural extension; efficient use of water for irrigation purposes; addressing the impacts of climate change; and institutional capacity building and human resource development, she noted.

Presided over by Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder, the function was addressed by Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture Ministry Matia Chowdhury and Agriculture Secretary Sayedul Islam.