The ‘Bangladesh-Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Room’ was inaugurated at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) headquarters here. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina opened the room in a ceremony in presence of FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu on Monday evening. The establishment of the room marks the celebration of the 100th birth anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who had a dream of building a nation free from hunger and poverty and initiated the “Green Revolution” in the agriculture sector of Bangladesh. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that her country is delighted to have a little piece of Bangladesh inside the FAO headquarters. In this regard, she expressed her gratitude to the FAO director general and his team for their whole-hearted support in making it possible. She said Bangladesh became a member of FAO in 1973 under the guidance of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Mentioning that Bangabandhu’s life-long mission was to free Bangladesh’s people from oppression, poverty and hunger, she said, “I pay my profound homage to his memory as we officially open this room that bears his name.” This room also stands for the fifty years of excellent partnership between Bangladesh and FAO, she added. Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh has made significant progress in combating hunger and malnutrition. “It is my life’s purpose to ensure a zero-hunger and zero-poverty future for all people, and we are almost at the last miles of our struggle.”  “I hope the international delegates gathering in this room will take a moment to reflect on our achievements,” she said, adding, “I hope they will draw inspiration from our example to promote food security and sustainability all over the world.”  The newly furnished room shows an image of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib, depicted in a paddy field by one of Bangladesh’s farmers. This artistic work was done during the “Mujib Year” - Bangabandhu’s birth centenary observed in 2020-21. It has earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. It bears testimony to Bangabandhu’s place in the hearts and minds of Bangladesh’s common people. Sheikh Hasina said that there is also an image of the Ceres Award given to her in 1999 in recognition of their work against hunger and malnutrition. “This was a fitting tribute to the hard work of our farmers and farm labourers,” she added.  Referring to her last month’s visit to Geneva where she spoke for Bangladesh’s workers and toiling masses, she said, “This time, I have come here to talk about our farmers’ contributions to produce food for our 168 million people.” (BSS Reported) She extended her gratitude to the entire UN Food System for standing by their side over the years.  “I hope the ‘Bangladesh-Bangabadhu Sheikh Mujib Room’ will make all its visitors feel welcome and provide them enough comfort and motivation,” she added. 

Implementation of schemes under the Holistic Agriculture Development Plan ( HADP) of the Jammu Kasmir government would double the agricultural output of the Union territory and give a fillip to its agricultural export, said Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Agriculture Production Department, Atal Dulloo while reviewing HADP implementation with the heads of Project Grounding and Monitoring Committees. The ACS, while addressing the meeting held in this regard, exhorted the officers to implement HADP in its entirety keeping its aims and objectives in mind. He asked them to complete all the preliminary work beforehand regarding issuing of tenders, procurement and management of human resources. He asked them to maintain transparency by framing thorough specifications of tender documents for timely procurement and utilization of resources, said a statement issued by Jammu and Kashmir agricultural department. "These 29 projects being implemented under HADP would surely double the outcomes in agriculture and allied sectors besides boosting exports from Jammu Kashmir to other parts of the country and abroad as well," Atal Dulloo said. Dulloo also took stock of the position of funds available under each scheme of the plan. He directed the officers to submit deliverables under each of the components in time so that these are completed within the set timeframe. The sub-projects which came under thorough discussion on Friday included the promotion of High-Density Plantation and rejuvenation of Orchards, Food Processing and Development of Clusters for specific products of Jammu Kashmir, Dairy Development, reorientation priorities regarding mutton products, Poultry Development, Fish Seed production, Trout culture, promotion of wool processing and marketing, support to Human Resource Development for a technological backstop for sustainable and accelerated transformation of Agriculture. Some of the works which were deliberated upon during the meeting include EoI for Nursery Development over 134 Ha, establishment of Mother Block Development over 170 Ha, New High-Density orchards over 5500 Ha, rejuvenation of 2000 Ha orchards, the establishment of Tissue Culture, Plant testing and virus testing labs. Similarly, the meeting discussed the creation of new semen stations, an increase in the number of AI centres, the deployment of additional AI and A HELP workers, establishment of 500 new milk FPOs/SHGs. The avenues like import of 2,700 elite stud animals, the establishment of 2000 commercial sheep farms and 72 breed-based farms across J&K, the establishment of breeder farms and hatcheries, horti-poultry units, Trout hatcheries and trout feed mills also came up under discussion. The plan includes a total of twenty-nine projects based on the principles of economy, equity and ecology which shall transform the agricultural economy of J&K putting it on a new trajectory of growth, almost doubling the output of the sectors, boosting exports and making the sectors sustainable and commercially viable. This will herald a new phase of farmer prosperity and rural livelihood security in J&K. The agricultural output which stands at Rs 37600 crore shall increase with a resultant increment in sectoral growth rate to 11%. Moreover, the interventions would result in creating employment opportunities for over 2.8 lakh youth and establishing around 19,000 enterprises. More than 2.5 lakh persons shall be skilled in various agri-enterprises. In the next five years, the UT shall have a motivated workforce with agri-entrepreneurial skills in a commercially viable and ecologically sustainable agri-ecosystem, as is envisaged with the completion of this holistic development plan, said Jammu Kashmir agricultural department.

The farmers in Jammu & Kashmir have been giving very positive responses to the decision of the agriculture department of implementing 29 projects aiming to achieve ‘holistic development’. Aiming to modernize the agriculture sector, the Jammu & Kashmir administration has planned to implement 29 projects costing more than Rs 500 corer from this year to increase agricultural production. Named ‘Holistic Development’, these projects aim at holistic development and promotion of agriculture and allied sectors so that the farmers of Jammu and Kashmir can get maximum profit and create employment opportunities from the agriculture sector. These projects were formed last year by a committee that included experts from the agriculture sector as members. The farmers of Kashmir Valley seem to be very happy with this initiative of the authorities. According to them, the implementation of these schemes will give them profitable benefits. They said that modernization in the agriculture sector is very important because most of the people in the Kashmir valley belong to agriculture. “Holistic project is very necessary to increase our production and earn double profit. We welcome this initiative of the authorities” said a farmer. The Director of the Agriculture Department, Iqbal Chaudhry, while providing information about these holistic projects, said that the agriculture sector and other related sectors contribute more than 18 per cent to the GDP of Jammu and Kashmir and support more than 1.3 lakh families by providing employment. He said that during the last decades, farmers have become frustrated with low production, climate change and other challenges in farming and they are looking for alternatives to farming. Chaudhry further said that the projects will be implemented through a plan of action to increase the crops produced in the Kashmir valley and the youth will become entrepreneurs from the production that will earn them employment. He says that under this policy, a target has been set to develop nineteen thousand young entrepreneurs who will provide employment to more than three lakh people. The Director said that among the crops that have been given most attention are vegetables, mustard, saffron, millets, basmati rice and other such crops (cash crops) from which the farmers can get better profits. He said that the target of the farmers for the next two years is to double the yield of these crops and they have to use less labor, fertilizers and other inputs in the cultivation of these crops so that the profit is also due to the low cost.

Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory is fast becoming the export hub for agriculture and allied goods and the trade and export policy (2018-2028) along with numerous government schemes has given impetus to efficient production and marketing strategies, creating new benchmarks for J&K in the international market. In the last three year, the Union Territory has witnessed a record-breaking growth of around 55 percent in exports. A large chunk of this percentage comprised of agricultural goods. Many export success stories are making rounds in Jammu and Kashmir. Agri-preneurs have birthed unique products such as cold saffron beverages, dispersible saffron kehwa tablets, apple chips, apple powder, walnut butter, and a mechanized unshelled walnut processing chain. J&K's major agricultural exports include apples, barley, cherries, corn, millet, oranges, rice, peaches, pears, plums, walnuts, almonds, saffron, sorghum, wheat, and vegetables. The exotic vegetables propagated for export to Europe include broccoli, brussels sprouts, asparagus, lettuce, and red cabbage. Renowned scientists and policy planners of the country under the chairmanship of Dr. Mangala Rai are preparing a futuristic roadmap for accelerated development of agriculture and allied sectors. 70 percent of J&K's economy is agriculture-based, so there is immense scope for harnessing the real potential of agriculture and allied sectors. The idea is to invest in crops that provide local food security and commercial export value. Value addition to Agri products, their processing, packaging, and market outreach are being planned for the maximum profit per input. A month back Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated a two-day multi-stakeholder convention on the holistic development of agriculture and allied sectors at Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) Srinagar. It requires all stakeholders' concerted effort to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for J&K - Food Security, Self-Sufficiency, and Global Leadership in Agriculture. Under the PMFME (Prime Minister Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises) scheme of "One District One Product" the singular focus of J&K's districts will be on the production of- Jammu - Dairy Products; Rajouri - Spices; Poonch - Mutton and Poultry processing; Kishtwar and Doda - Walnut processing; Ramban - Honey processing; Udhampur - Pickles and Jam; Reasi - Organic vegetables; Kathua - Spices; Samba - Mushrooms; Anantnag - Trout fish; Pulwama - Saffron; Shopian - Apple; Kulgam - Apple and Spices; Srinagar - Flowers; Budgam - Exotic vegetables; Baramulla - Dairy products; Kupwara - Walnut; Ganderbal - Honey; and Bandipora - processed Poultry and Mutton. Beekeeping is one of the oldest employments in the state. Locally grown honey has been traded for centuries given the flora of the Valley. Beekeeping also allows the production of propolis, beeswax, bee-venom, pollen, and royal jelly.   As India is the sixth major natural honey exporting country, Beekeepers in the Valley have a ready base to capture international markets like Germany, USA, UK, Japan, France, Italy, and Spain. The Prime Minister's Sweet Revolution for beekeepers is a sure strategy to increase the farmer's income from as little as 10 percent to 80 percent. In July the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST-K) in collaboration with Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM, Pune) organized a four-day Agri export marketing training for Cooperatives and FPOs (Farmer-Producer Organization Scheme). Such training programs provide handheld support to farmers who are new to the export business. The participants were endowed with comprehensive knowledge and skills in various aspects of international marketing with a special focus on exporting apple, walnut, and saffron crops. To increase farmers' income, SKUAST-K offers many such short-term vocational courses for skill development in the Agri-processing sector. As J&K is known to be a treasure trove of herbs, it is emerging as a brand name in the international market. Some of the widely exported herbs are: Dioscorea deltoidea (life-saving-steroids); Echinacea angustifolia (immune system stimulants); Hypericum perforatum (anti-depressant); Withania somnifera (nervous disorders); Aconitum heterophyllum (astringent/anti-diabetic); Pyrethrum (insecticide); Atropa belladonna (antispasmodic); Podophyllum (anti-cancer); Rosa Damascena bulgaria (fragrance); Levendula officinalis (aroma); Salvia sclarea (perfumery); and Cymbopogon/Lemongrass (medicinal, aromatic). The Union Territory is also witnessing a revolution in the cultivation of a particular, highly demanded crop - Lavender. It is farmed in all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir as J&K offers the exact climatic conditions the crop demands. Farmers are switching to the cultivation and processing of lavender because it can earn them five times their average income on the same land. The purple blossoms are used for their therapeutic value in form of oil and tea, nutrition, perfumery, and medicine value in homeopathy and Ayurveda. With the efforts of the Department of Agriculture, traditional farmers in the Valley have switched to high-density fruit orchards like apples and Italian pears. Horticultural produce of J&K has earned praise worldwide for its quality and taste. In the current financial year, the Lt Governor has emphasized on organic and natural farming to maintain soil health and cater to the growing demand for chemical-free produce. Organic fertilizers like compost manure, green manure, bone meal, biological pest control, and fostering of insect-eating rodents, in combination with planting techniques such as crop rotation, mixed cropping, and companion planting are encouraged. Last year, the UT invited delegations from the gulf and the Middle East to showcase its agricultural produce. Kashmiri Saffron, Mishri variety Kashmiri cherries, Mushkbudji fragrance rice, Acacia honey, and Seabuckthorn (juice, pulp, oil, and tea) were sampled. They were instantly pre-ordered by all significant hypermarkets such as the Lulu Group. The geographical indications (GI) tag acting as a mark of trust has immensely helped to raise the export volume. By creating the necessary eco-system to promote Atmanirbharta and collaborating with key stakeholders in the Agri exports value chains, Jammu and Kashmir is looking at a bright future.   Source: ANI

The achievement of reaching the highest-ever mark of USD 50 billion worth of agriculture exports was attained through multiple steps taken by the Department of Commerce to turn India into the food basket for the world, said Commerce Ministry officials on Sunday. Speaking to ANI, the Commerce Ministry officials said that the previous highest mark was in 2013-14 at USD 43 billion after which the exports saw a free fall of sorts and suffered a USD 10 billion decrease in the figure by 2016-17 after which Department of Commerce identified four main reasons for the decrease in Agri-exports. "First, there was a disconnect between production and export of agricultural produce. Second, the State Government and farmers were not well acquainted with the concept of export-oriented production," the officials said. The Piyush Goyal-led Ministry also found out that the States were taking exports as the domain of the central government only and also the lack of agriculture export infrastructure and expertise with the state governments.   The Department of Commerce charted out a plan to address these issues and "for the first time reached out to not just the States but also at the district and village level farmers. "Our officials spread awareness and informed farmers that if there would be a surplus agriculture produce, Government of India will export it as the government wanted to help agriculture and its allied sectors as they provide the largest source of livelihoods in India," the officials said. Officials said the exports in the Agriculture sector have gone up despite the COVID-19 global pandemic where the demand for food had gone up globally but the issues of lockdowns closed offices and roads were creating huge issues. "But Department of Commerce through Indian Missions abroad and interacted through Virtual Buyer-Seller meets, removed many bottlenecks, coordinated with port or customs or State or district authorities, etc., to meet the increased global demand," the officials said. The officials said the Department of Commerce also supported States in identifying respective infrastructure bottlenecks, logistics constraints, requirements of post-harvest infrastructure etc. to address the same. Further, steps were taken to identify new markets, increase footprint in existing markets, analyze requirements and tariff structure of the new markets, etc. They said that even though the country has reached USD 50 billion mark in Agriculture exports, the country has not yet reached its full potential in the export of agriculture products. Due to the efforts of the government, in 2021-22, India exported around USD 10 billion in rice, with a 50 per cent share in the world's rice exports; the highest ever export of marine products (USD 8 billion), sugar (USD 4.5 billion), wheat (USD 2 billion) and coffee (USD 1 billion); USD 4 billion meat, dairy and poultry products exports, USD 4 billion spices exports and USD 3 billion cotton exports.   Source: The Economic Times

The Director Agriculture Kashmir Chowdhary Muhammad Iqbal Thursday visited Seed Multiplication Farm (SMF) Allowpora Shopian to take stock of the progress on the implementation of different programs on the farm. During the visit, Chowdhary inspected various sections of the farm spread over an area of almost 1,100 Kanals and reviewed the various interventions adopted there. Speaking on the occasion, the Director said that the departmental farms are the assets of the department and have an inevitable role to play amid the changing  global agriculture scenario. “Our immediate goal is to achieve the self-reliance in seed requirement of different Agricultural crops in the region and the departmental Seed Multiplication Farms are the main resources to reach this ambitious goal,” he said. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Seeds Corporation is likely to be executed so that all the potential and scope of these departmental farms and other related infrastructure could be channelized in a proper manner. The concerned officers/ technical experts work on a mission mode so that all the set targets for the current year could be reached successfully. Earlier, the Director of Agriculture visited Hi-tech Poly houses at Hall Nikas Shopian and took stock of preparation for the distribution of seedlings of different vegetable crops among the farmers of concerned areas. The Director (Controller Insecticides) also inspected various Insecticide/ Pesticide  dealers of district Shopian. Source: India Blooms

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday announced a new stimulus package of Tk 5,000 crore to provide financial assistance to small and medium farmers in rural areas for boosting agricultural production facing the fallout of Covid-19. “Bangladesh Bank will formulate a new refinancing scheme of Tk 5,000 crore to pump running capital into the agricultural sector. We’ll create this Tk 5,000 crore stimulus package only for the agricultural sector. We’ll disburse money from this fund to farmers at only 5 percent interest,” she said. The Prime Minister said this while delivering her introductory speech in a videoconference from her official residence Ganobhaban with government officials from 16 districts under Khulna and Barishal divisions. The money from this fund will be disbursed among small and medium farmers, including that of poultry and dairy sector, in rural areas, she said. On April 7 last, the Prime Minister held a videoconference with government officials from 15 districts under Chattogram and Sylhet divisions to discuss the present COVID-19 there. Source: UNB AH

Agriculture Minister Dr. Md. Abdur Razzak said, the content that are being transmitted on Rtv, is helping country’s development and progress. Rtv upholds objective news before the spectators. He said this at the daylong inaugural program on the occasion of 15th founding anniversary of Rtv at Bengal Multimedia Studio at Tejgaon in the capital on Thursday. The minister said, Bangladesh is on the development highway under leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Our vision is to turn the country a middle income country by 2021 and high middle income country by 2030. All the SDG goals will be met by this time. And building a truly hunger and poverty free Bangladesh by the year 2041. We hope that Rtv will help the government actively to achieve the target. On the other hand, after joining the founding anniversary of Rtv Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) president Hasanul Haq Inu said, Rtv began its journey preserving the culture and heritage of four thousand years with the smell of soil and people of Bangladesh. During it long journey Rtv has preserved the heritage. Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen, Housing and Public Works Minister SM Rezaul Karim, Workers Party president Rashed Khan Menon, JSD president Hasanul Haq Inu, Jatiya Party secretary general Mashiur Rahman Ranga, Awami League office secretary Barrister Biplob Barua, Masranga Television news chief Rezanul Haque, Awami League election working committee coordinator Professor Dr. Selim Mahmud, Jatiya Party presidium member Barrister Shamim Haider Patwary and others were present to greet on the occasion of founding anniversary. AH  

The government will give seed and chemical fertilizer worth nearly Taka 80 crore among the country’s small and marginal farmers free of cost under the agricultural incentive program. Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury formally disclosed this while addressing a press briefing at the ministry’s conference room in the capital on Sunday. Reports BSS. Under the program, she said, a total of 6,90,970 marginal farmers will get free seed and fertilizer worth Taka 79,99,82,495 for cultivating eleven types of crops on a bigha of land each during winter and summer seasons. “The government is providing the incentive from the annual budget allocated for the Agriculture Ministry…it will not require additional fund from the government exchequer,” Matia said. The small and marginal farmers will get their required seed and fertilizer for cultivating 11 types of crops, including wheat, maize, mustard, peanuts, felon, grass pea (khesari dal), BT brinjal, boro paddy and winter season Mung dal in Robi season and subsequently summer season Mung and sesame (Til) cultivated during Kharif-1 season. The main objective of the incentive program is to enhance production of the cereal food by increasing crop area and per unit production. The incentive will get a total of 65,007 farmers for cultivating wheat while 2,21,500 farmers for maize; 2,10,002 farmers for mustard; 10,001 for cultivating peanuts; 18,000 farmers for til; 48,400 farmers for summer season mung; 24,300 for winter season mung; 13,600 farmers for cultivating grass pea; 5,400 farmers for felon cultivation; 2,070 for BT Brinjal cultivation; and 71,700 farmers for boro paddy cultivation. High officials of different agencies under the Agriculture Ministry, including its secretary in-charge M Nasiruzzaman, were present at the press briefing. AH

The cabinet approved the draft of a revised National Agriculture Policy eying to benefit farmers and attaining food and nutrition security for the people. The cabinet approval came at its weekly meeting at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair on Monday. Reports BSS. “The policy has been framed by upgrading the previous policy of 2013 . . .its prime goal is to make the agriculture sector safe and profitable and attain food and nutrition security,” Cabinet Secretary Md Shafiul Alam told a news briefing after the meeting, simultaneously approved in principle the draft of Bangladesh Shishu Academy Act. Alam described the “Jatiya Krishi Niti-2018” as an “overarching” policy saying it included issues which were not addressed in the previous policy. He said the policy intended to increase and diversify crop production, enhance farmers’ income, produce nutritious and safe food, develop marketing system and ensure food safety, ensure efficient use of natural resources and socioeconomic development. Alam said the issues of nanotechnology, standard seed production and urban agricultural services, agro-machinery services, innovative extension technology and agriculture technology block and year-round productions were featured the policy. The policy also included a provision of taking agriculture extension programs for disaster prone regions and stressed farming on cooperative system, he said The cabinet secretary said the Bangladesh Shishu Academy Act, 2018 will replace the existence ‘Bangladesh Shishu Academy Ordinance, 1976,’ promulgated during the then military regime. The Supreme Court in a verdict in 2010 annulled all laws framed by the military rulers asking the government to replace those with new ones in Bangla. Accordingly the Shishu Academy Ordinance became defunct while the proposed law suggested the body to be headed by a director general (DG) its chief instead of the director. The academy will have its head office in Dhaka, and with government permission it can open its branches at divisions, districts and upazilas. A 17-member Management Board headed by a chairman would operate the activities of the academy. The board will comprise directors general of Bangla Academy and Bangladesh Shilpa Kala Academy, Dean of Fine Arts faculty of Dhaka University, a joint secretary of the Women and Children Affairs Ministry and representatives of Finance Division, Social Welfare Ministry, Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs Ministry, Primary and Mass Education Ministry, Health Ministry, ICT Division, Shishu Kalyan Parishad, and four distinguished persons regarded for their contribution to children’s welfare. The proposed law said out of the four distinguished persons two must be women. The academy will give honorary fellowship to distinguished persons having outstanding contribution to language, literature, science, arts or any special social areas alongside working for overall welfare and development of the children. Chairman of the board of the academy and its Director General would be appointed by the government. AH