The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Panchagarh

Country Director of the United Nations (UN) here Aad Spikers has said that people and farmers could increase food production through utilising their hard work and talents to meet the food deficit in Bangladesh. The recent worldwide food crisis has been created because of the shortfall in food production in Ukraine, Australia, The Philippines and some other countries last year due to droughts and natural calamities, he said.

The UN country director said this while inaugurating crop-cutting ceremony of Sonar Bangla six-hybrid variety paddy at the field of farmer Majibur Rahman at village Kumartul under Tentulia upazila in Panchagarh district on Friday.

The ceremony, chaired by Tentulia Upazila Agriculture Officer Kamal Kumar Sarker, was organized on the occasion there. FAO Consultant Loreto Novelli, Dr Shahidul Islam of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) from Dhaka, FAO Programme Officer Sheikh Ahaduzzaman, Additional Director of the DAE, Rangpur Zone Abdur Rouf, Deputy Directors of DAE Zahedul Islam and AKM Jahangir were present.

The UN Country Director expressed his satisfaction after observing the lifestyle and rearing of heads of cattle at almost all households in the area and appreciated the laborious people of Panchagarh district. He also suggested the farmers to increase production of huge quantities of green vegetables, potato, maize, wheat and other crops side-by-side with increasing production of hybrid variety paddy to meet food crisis by locally produced food grains in the country.

Local farmers Yasin Ali and Habibur Rahman spoke on the occasion and narrated their experiences in cultivating hybrid variety paddy saying that farmers of the country could increase rice and other crop productions by and large in near future.