The Agriculturists Day will be observed in the country on Monday through various programmes.
On this occasion, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages on Sunday extending greetings to agriculturists and wishing all programmes of the day a success.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman announced to upgrade the agriculturists to class-I status in the government service on February 13, 1973, and in this perspective, observance of February 13 as Agriculturist Day is important.
President Abdul Hamid, in his message, said humans have been depending on agriculture for meeting their basic needs since the past time.
Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman gave maximum importance to agricultural education, research, extension and development of agriculture in the first budget of the newly-independent country and allocated the highest budget to the agriculture sector, the head of the state said.
The government is implementing multifaceted activities for the overall development of agriculture on the path shown by the father of the nation, he said.
"As a result, we are now self-sufficient in food grains. Besides, the mass production of vegetables and fruits, fish, meat, milk and eggs are playing an important role in meeting the daily nutritional needs at the national level," the president added.
Noting that information technology in agriculture or e-agriculture is an integral part of the development of the country, he said appropriate use of information technology at every stage including crop production, processing and marketing will play a helpful role in ensuring sustainable agricultural production.
As a result of population growth and unplanned urbanization, the per capita land in the country is gradually decreasing, he mentioned.
To meet the food and nutritional needs of people, he urged agricultural scientists to continue their relentless efforts to develop new technologies and more high-yielding varieties of seeds, to produce rich fish, meat, eggs and milk enriched with high protein.
Besides, the president underscored the need for raising awareness of the use of chemicals and pesticides which are harmful to public health.
"I hope that the agriculturists with their knowledge, talents and labour will contribute to building a hunger- and poverty-free golden Bengal and smart Bangladesh by implementing 2041," the President commented.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman made a milestone in history by upgrading the agriculturists to class-I status. As a result, the meritorious students are being inspired to get an agriculture education, she added.
Bangabandhu called for a green revolution, the premier said.
Quoting Bangabandhu, she said farmers must work to achieve an agricultural revolution in the country so that not even an inch of land will be left uncultivated in Bangladesh.
It is only through the united but selfless efforts of the people that can bring a strong economy to the country, she added.
Bangabandhu exempted farmers from 10 lakh certificate cases filed during Pakistan rule and waived off loans with interest, she said, adding that by fixing the upper limit of land ownership per family at 100 bighas, he set aside the surplus land (khas jomi) and distributed those lands among the landless people alongside waiving the land-rent up to 25 bighas.
The Awami League has been running the government continuously since 2009 and working relentlessly for the betterment of the people, said Sheikh Hasina.
Following the footsteps of the Father of the Nation, the government is adopting and implementing agriculture-friendly policies, she added.
Bangladesh, like other countries of the world, is facing various problems due to the Russia-Ukraine and the corona pandemic, she said.
Except for certain agricultural products, she said, most of those agri-products have to be imported as raw materials for industry.
"In this situation, at least the people should be frugal at all levels so that agricultural products do not have to be imported and we should take initiatives to ensure that even an inch of cultivable land in the country is not left uncultivated," she advised the people.
The premier called upon the agriculturists to be more sincere in encouraging all concerned in agriculture to ensure production according to the usefulness of every inch of land.
"We will be able to build a hunger-and poverty-free developed and rich golden Bangladesh as dreamt by the father of the nation with the collective efforts of all, Insha Allah," the PM said.
