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Fisheries and Livestock Minister Md Abdur Rahman has said that farmers are the real celebrities of the livestock sector.
“The government has taken various initiatives and development projects to meet the needs of the public by increasing the production of milk, meat and eggs and to make this sector export-oriented,” he said on Saturday.
“A notable initiative is the Livestock and Dairy Development Project (LDPP), which is working for the development of the dairy sector,” he added.
The minister made the remarks while addressing a function organised by the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) on the occasion of ‘World Milk Day 2024’ and ‘Dairy Icon Celebration’ at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB) in Dhaka.
Congratulating the award-winning farmers, Abdur Rahman added, “By competing among yourselves, you have enriched yourselves as you increased the production of milk.”
He appealed to the farmers to continue this trend in the future.
He said, “Milk is not just an ideal food but drinking it is essential for building a talented nation. Therefore, the habit should be developed.
“Just as milk is essential for nutrition, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is also essential to turn Bangladesh into the ‘Sonar Bangla’ (Golden Bengal) of Bangabandhu's dreams by 2041.”
He lauded the farmers’ demands regarding the imposition of higher duties to discourage the import of powdered milk and assured them that necessary actions would be taken in this regard.
Organised for the third time in the country, a total of 51 awards were given at this year’s Dairy Icon Celebration. Some 26 awards were given in the dairy farm category, nine in the animal feed processing category, 11 in the milk/meat processing category and five in the farm mechanisation category.
The theme of this year's World Milk Day is 'Milk is essential to global nutrition'. Rallies were organised both centrally and at the district levels across Bangladesh on the occasion of the day. Apart from this, a school milk feeding programme was conducted at ten primary schools in Dhaka with the help of private entrepreneurs.
Chattogram-6 Member of Parliament ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury, and Fisheries and Livestock Ministry Secretary Syed Mahmud Belal Haider, were present as special guests while DLS Director General Mohammad Rayazul Haque presided over the programme.
