Agriculture reporting must bring out problems and criticism, but negative news that harms the country's agriculture and farmers must not be published, former agriculture secretary Anwar Faruk has said.

He made the remark as chief guest at the first founding anniversary and fruit festival of the Bangladesh Agriculture Reporters Forum (BARF) at Khamarbari in the capital on Wednesday afternoon (9 July). A cake was cut to mark BARF's first anniversary.

Anwar Faruk said the media plays an important role in taking agriculture forward. But at times negative news provokes a reaction among consumers of farm products that harms production and the farmers involved in it. He said he expected journalists, out of their own sense of responsibility, to be careful when reporting on such matters.

He said journalists must always be given accurate information and their calls must be answered. Many officials do not respond for days when called or asked for a meeting, and many are unwilling to give information, which can leave journalists confused without accurate facts. Then, once a report is published, they get in touch to limit the damage. Instead, information should be given from the start and journalists given full co-operation, and officials of the Ministry of Agriculture must take the lead in this.

The festival, chaired by BARF president Rafiqul Islam Sabuj and moderated by general secretary Kawsar Azam, was attended by Ahmed Ali Chowdhury Iqbal, secretary general of the retired BCS (Agriculture) Association; Murad Hasan, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension; Masudul Haque, president of the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum; BARF vice-president Chapal Mahmud, joint general secretary Ferdous Rahman, organising secretary Nazmul Hussain, finance secretary Aynal Hossain, office secretary Faruk Ahmad Arif and other leaders and members of the committee.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.