Chittagong Hill Tracts: The orchard of Bangladesh

Agriculture Secretary Md Sayedul Islam on Friday stressed the need to highlight the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) as the orchard of Bangladesh.

“Cold storages need to be built to preserve the fruits grown in the CHT. Besides, the number of collection centres needs to be increased to collect and store fruits coming from the remote parts of the region,” Sayedul said.

He made the remarks during a views-exchange meeting with agricultural scientists from Chattogram and the three hill districts that comprise the CHT region, at the conference room of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Bandarban.

Speaking as the chief guest, Sayedul pointed out various measures that need to be taken in order to boost fruit production in the CHT.

“The agricultural loan at a 4 per cent interest rate announced by the government needs to be ensured. State-of-the-art technologies must be used to enhance the irrigation system. Most importantly, the participation of educated people is necessary for technology and knowledge-based agricultural system,” Sayedul said.

The secretary claimed that no other country in the world provides as much subsidy as Bangladesh in the agricultural sector.

“The government provides subsidies worth Tk 30,000 crore every year to the agricultural sector, an amount equal to the total cost of the Padma Bridge. The government is doing it for the sake of making the nation food-sufficient,” Sayedul added.