Agriculture Minister Dr. Md Abdur Razzaque today said that the government has taken initiatives to make the country self -sufficient in food production.

“The government has been disbursing incentives including seeds and fertilizers among the cultivators for cultivating oil seeds,” he said this while addressing a Regional Workshop on “Work plan of increasing the production and development of Mustard and Paddy-23” at local Shilpakala Academy here as chief guest.

The Agriculture Minister said about 90 percent of edible oil is imported from abroad at a cost of 2.5 billion US dollars every year, adding that only 10 percent of our demand is produced in the country.

To meet the demand we have taken the decision to increase the production of our oil seeds like mustard, lentil, groundnut, soybean and sunflower, he said adding that to make the initiative as success, short period of paddy would be cultivated here.

“We have taken a decision to reduce 50 percent import dependency of edible oil within next three years by increasing our internal production. Both the cultivation and production of oil seeds have been increasing every year in the country”, the minister said.

The Agriculture Minister urged the people to cast their votes in favour of Awami League for the continuation of the current development of the country.

Agriculture Secretary Wahida Aktar presided over the workshop under the auspices of Manikganj Khamarbari, the Department of Agriculture Extension.

The function was addressed among others by Deputy Commissioner Manikganj Muhammad Abdul Latif, District Awami League President Advocate Golam Mohiuddin, General Secretary Advocate Abdus Salam, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension Abu Mohammad Enayet Ullah, Saturia Upazila Agriculture Officer Md. Khalilur Rahman among others spoke on the occasion.

Earlier the Agriculture Minister visited some mustard fields accompanied by his associates in Singair upazila and talked to the officials and cultivators.