DHAKA, Sept 25, 2024 (BSS)- Agriculture Adviser of the Interim Government Lieutenant General (retd) M Jahangir Alam Chowdhury today said the agriculture should to be transformed into 'farmers friendly' to make all facilities available for farmers. 

"The government must recognize the needs of the farmers and initiatives should be taken to make seeds, fertilizer and other components available for them. Farmers also should get fair price of their products", he said.

The agriculture adviser said this while attending a views exchanging meeting with the agriculture extension officials at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) at Khamarbari in Farmgate here this afternoon.

The adviser discussed the ways of intensifying the supply of fertilizer, seeds and other components to farmers. He also stressed the need for bringing all fallow land under cultivation, crop diversification, increasing cultivation of fruits.

He also laid importance on exporting of seasonal fruits, reducing the use of urea fertilizer, cultivation of suitable crops during the post flood period and bringing the dry land under irrigation.

Asking all to make fertilizer available ahead of the upcoming irri-boro season, he said instructions have already been given to the agriculture ministry to make the fertilizer supply available for the farmers.

Simultaneously, he said, the field level agriculture officials should inform the farmers on the availability of the fertilizer so that they don't become scared.

Talking about the fallow land, the agriculture adviser said, the agriculturists must find out a way to bring vast area of barren land under agriculture.

Bangladesh has 88 lakh 29 thousand and 266 hectares of arable land while some 91,277 hectares are barren, he said.

The adviser urged the employees of the department to refrain from any malpractice of corruption saying the present government would not tolerate any deviation on this issue.

Later the adviser visited different sections of the department.