Workshop on achieving self-sufficiency in spice production held

The Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) has organized a workshop on achieving self-sufficiency in spice crop production in the country.

Md Mesbahul Islam, senior secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, inaugurated the workshop as the chief guest on Saturday.

He said: “Although we have achieved self-sufficiency in food, there are still many challenges. These challenges include declining agricultural land, fair prices for farmers and labour crisis.”

“The pressure on agricultural land is increasing day by day. So we need to find alternatives through research. We have to innovate high yielding varieties and reduce production costs. I hope our agricultural scientists will play a leading role in tackling these problems,” he said.

At the workshop, Dr Sahiduzzaman, chief scientific officer of the Regional Spice Research Centre, delivered the welcome speech while Dr Dilwar Ahmed Choudhury, chief scientific officer of the Department of Agriculture under BARI, highlighted the various activities, progress and successes of Bari through multimedia exhibitions.

The keynote address was delivered by Dr Shailendra Nath Majumder, project director and chief scientific officer of the Spice Research Centre.