Jahangir expects bumper Aman paddy harvest
NN ONLINE:
Agriculture Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury today expressed optimism about a bumper Aman paddy harvest this season.
“The harvesting of Aman paddy has already begun. If the weather remains favorable till the end, we can expect an excellent yield,” the adviser said while briefing journalists after a review meeting on the Annual Development Programme (ADP) at the Ministry of Agriculture in the Bangladesh Secretariat here.
Jahangir Alam, also home adviser, noted that potato farmers are not getting proper price due to overproduction and falling prices. “Compared to last year, potato exports have almost doubled this time,” the adviser said. Regarding onion production, he said, “This year’s onion yield has been good, and there is no need for imports.”
Noting that winter vegetables have started entering the market, which will gradually bring prices down, the adviser expressed hope that vegetable prices will remain within an affordable range this year.
About the fertilizer, Jahangir Alam said, “There is no shortage of fertilizer now, and there will have no scarcity during the tenure of the interim government. Farmers will continue to get fertilizer at fixed prices.”
He assured that despite rising import costs, the government will provide subsidies. The adviser further informed that a policy related to fertilizer management will be finalized by December, and a 25-year long-term plan for food crop production is being taken.
Highlighting the importance of preserving arable land, Jahangir Alam said the government has initiated steps to enact a ‘farmland protection act’ to prevent unregulated occupation and land-use changes in the future. Agriculture Secretary Dr Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian was present at the briefing.