Govt wants to stand by farmers: Food minister

Terming farmers as the heart of the country, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumdar on Tuesday said that the aim of the government is to stand by the farmers.

“Whether they cultivate mango or paddy, the interest of the farmers must be protected,” the minister said at the inauguration ceremony of mango harvesting and marketing in 2023 season in Sapahar’s Godown Para area on Tuesday.

The Food Minister said under the leadership of the Prime Minister, there has been a bumper yield of Boro, Aman paddy and mangoes as well and farmers are getting a fair price for paddy. “I hope they will also get a fair price for mangoes,” he added.

Sadhan Chandra said now the supply of local fruits is quite good. “Dollars will be saved if fruits are not imported from abroad and the nutritional value of local fruits is also high.”

“There is an opportunity to export various fruits and we are exporting mangoes. As a result, mango farmers are benefiting. But the problem is that foreigners want to know whether the mangoes are safe or not. We cannot show them a certificate.”

He hoped that in future it will be possible to export more mangoes with a certificate from the safe food directorate.

Chaired by Sharmin Jahan, assistant commissioner (land) of Sapahar, Upazila Parishad Chairman Md Shahjahan Hossain, Upazila Awami League President Md Shamsul Alam Shah Chowdhury and agricultural worker Shapla Khatun were present at the programme.