Discover green way of cropping

President Abdul Hamid yesterday asked the agriculturists and researchers of the country to invent sustainable and stress-tolerant cropping methods.

"Climate change has adversely affected biodiversity worldwide and this situation will further deteriorate if environmental pollution is not stopped. . . the agriculturists and researchers will have to find out ways to overcome this situation," the president said while addressing the "Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB) Award Giving Ceremony" in Farmgate's KIB auditorium in the capital.

Noting that the risk and cost of agricultural production have increased, President Hamid urged all concerned to pay special attention to inventing and expanding technology-based sustainable and environment friendly agricultural production method.

Hamid also stressed the need for inventing varieties of less time-consuming paddy for haor region and finding out alternative way to produce food grains.

"There is no alternative to increasing production of food grains to ensure food security. For this, we have to take short, medium and long-term effective and sustainable plans and programmes," the president added.

Referring to the traditional use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides in crop cultivation, Hamid said the country's fertile agricultural land is gradually losing its productivity due to the extensive use of these chemicals. Therefore, farmers should be encouraged to increase the use of organic fertilisers and organic pesticides.

Saying that he was born and brought up in a farmer family, Hamid said, "If agricultural production increases, a farmer's income will increase. Their lifestyle will develop. Country's socio-economic growth will increase too."

The president urged all concerned, including different institutions linked with agricultural production, to help build a "Sonar Bangla".

Fisheries and Livestock Minister Narayan Chandra Chanda, KIB Secretary General agriculturist Mohammad Khairul Alam Prince and KIB Jury Board Member Prof Dr Shahidur Rashid Bhuiyan spoke among others while KIB President agriculturist AMM Saleh presided over the function.

Four people and one institution were given the KIB award for 2018, while five persons and one institution for 2017 for their outstanding contribution to agriculture.