The three-day 14th International Agro-Technology Fair opened on Thursday, 5 November, at International Convention City Bashundhara in Dhaka and runs until 7 November. Organised by the Rural Development Academy (RDA), Bogura, and Limra Exhibitions, it has about 250 organisations from 14 countries showing farm technology and innovation at 500 stalls.
State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam, the chief guest, said the country will not reach its goals unless farming, farmers and researchers are properly valued. He called for wider use of mechanisation, better seed, and technology in storing and processing farm produce.
Many farmers do not match fertiliser to what their land needs, he said, which raises costs and harms the environment; soil testing, balanced application and more organic fertiliser are needed. The government spends about Tk 27,000 crore a year on fertiliser subsidies. He cited RDA's underground pipeline irrigation as cutting costs and water waste, and said it should spread nationwide.
He also pointed to surplus potatoes that often go to waste when they could become starch, of which Bangladesh imports about Tk 3,500 crore worth a year. The government is studying eight to 10 starch factories in the north. To cut edible oil imports, RDA plans oil production from sunflower and soybean seed in Bogura, Gopalganj, Rangpur and Jamalpur.
A law is being prepared to make adding 10 vitamins to flour mandatory, he said, and work is under way to fortify rice.
In a message for the fair, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said there is no alternative to modern technology for sustaining farming and raising productivity. He said the government is prioritising input support through farmer cards, easy credit, farm insurance, and wider storage and marketing facilities.
Source: Banglanews24
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