Potato export inaugurated in Rangpur

Senior Staff Reporter, Rangpur :
Agricultural Secretary Wahida Akhter has inaugurated the potato export program in Pirgacha Upazila of Rangpur. The programme was organized Sunday by the initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Sara Bangla Farmers Society and with the cooperation of Birahim I APP Farmers Cooperative Society Limited.
Among others, FAO representative in Bangladesh, Robert D. Simpson, Additional Secretary (Policy Planning and Coordination) of the Ministry of Agriculture Ruhul Amin Talukdar, Chairman and Additional Secretary of Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation Abdullah Sajjad, NDC, Director General of Agriculture Extension Department Badal Chandra Biswas, Additional Director of Agriculture Extension Region Rangpur Md. Aftab Hossain, Managing Director of Agromi Export-Import Limited Salma Rahman, Bangladesh Potato Exporters Association its General Secretary Zakir Hossain and Salma Akhtar, Aduri Begum and potato farmers of Birahim Potato Producers Cooperative Society were present there .
 Agricultural Secretary Wahida Akhter said thatb they are working to capture the potato market in Russia and Vietnam so that our farmers get a fair price for potatoes. If the Russian market opens, our farmers will get better prices. The export target of one lakh metric ton of potato from Bangladesh has been set for the current season. Soon we will be able to go to a good position in the export of agricultural products. He said, the government is committed to simplify the export process for the sake of the country.
 In the event, four producer cooperative societies participated in the inauguration of the fourth annual potato export in Rangpur, the main potato producing region of the country. On Sunday afternoon, Kalyani Union Swacha of Pirgacha officially inaugurated the potato conservation program in unrefrigerated model house. In the opening program, the agricultural officer along with the secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture listened to the hope of the farmers in the potato storage system in this new room.
Also present on the occasion were United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative in Bangladesh Robert de Cispason, Director General of Agriculture Extension Department agriculturist Badal Biswas Chandra, Director General of Agriculture Marketing Department Omar Imrul Mohsin, Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) Chairman Abdullah Sajjad, Agriculture Extension Aftab Hossain, Additional Director of Rangpur region of The department, Anawirul Haque, Project Director of Rangpur Agricultural Marketing Department and Obaidur Rahman Mandal, Deputy Director of Rangpur agricultural extension department.