Cabinet okays NationalAgriculture Policy 2013

The cabinet on Monday approved the draft of the "National Agriculture Policy 2013" with focus on agriculture production, alleviating poverty through generating jobs, and  highlighting food security.
The approval was given at the regular weekly meeting of the cabinet held in parliament with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said there had been changes in the local and international perspectives after the formulation of the existing Agriculture Policy 1999.
“So, there was a need to update the policy, and the ministry concerned held review meetings with different stakeholders and took opinions from various ministries for the update,” he added.
Musharraf Hossain said the agriculture ministry usually dealt with the crop sector, but agriculture was a multi-sectoral subject that also included fisheries, livestock, forests and agro-processing sectors.
The cabinet secretary said the draft policy would prioritise agricultural production, job creations and poverty alleviation and thus ensure food security. Agro-processing, marketing, role of women in agriculture, and financing will also get priority, he added.