Ensuring Safe Production of Crops: Cabinet approves new agro policy

The cabinet yesterday approved the draft of the National Agricultural Extension Policy 2020 aiming to ensure production of safe, nutritious and profitable crops through providing demand-based technology and information services to farmers and entrepreneurs.

The approval came from the weekly cabinet meeting held with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, at her office.

"The main goal of this policy is to ensure the production of climate tolerant, environment-friendly, safe, sustainable, nutritious and profitable crops through delivering demand-based technology and information services to farmers and entrepreneurs," said Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam while briefing reporters at the secretariat.

The national agricultural extension policy was prepared aimed at determining the demand-led subjects of research through exchanging views with all stakeholders and applying the research findings in the fields.

If the policy can be implemented with effective coordination and cooperation among all concerned with the agriculture sector, it will be possible to accelerate further the agricultural development by providing the extended services in line with demands of farmers, he added.

In the country, the first agricultural policy was adopted in 1996, he said.

The cabinet suggested incorporation of a provision of cooperatives-based cultivation-marketing system in the new policy to maximise the return of crops production. The proposal for a pilot project over the combined system of cultivation-marketing of crops was also discussed in the cabinet meeting, he said.

Besides, the cabinet gave its final approval to the draft of Sunamganj Science and Technology University Bill 2020, said the cabinet secretary. "The bill is like that of other science and technology universities," he said.

With Sunamganj Science and Technology University, the number of such universities will be 20 in the country and that of the total public universities 43 except medical universities.