“We are providing education to our children. So the children of the farmers should not have an attitude not to be involved in agriculture,” she said while inaugurating digital platform “Krishi Batayon” (agriculture portal) and “Krishak Bandhu Phone Seba” for expansion of e-agriculture service across the country.
The prime minister opened the services through a videoconference from her official residence Ganabhaban here this afternoon.
Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury spoke on the occasion while Senior Secretary of Agriculture Ministry Mohammad Moinuddin Abdullah made a power-point presentation.
Director General (admin) of the Prime Minister’s Office and Project Director of the A2I Project Kabir Bin Anwar moderated the function.
The prime minister said her government has taken steps for modernisation of farming through mechanization.
“The children of the farmers should utilize the knowledge they are earning from their parents. I think it’s a holy task and everybody should be engaged in it,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said there is no such a noble task like arrangement for food and removing hunger through producing agriculture products.
In her speech, the Prime Minister said, her government laid emphasis on developing farmers’ children with modern and mechanised Argo-related technology.
For the purpose, Krishi Batayan” and “Krishak Bandhu Phone Seba” apps Shathi have been launched to provide non-stop advice and services to the farmers on problems and prospects of agriculture, she said.
In this regard, Sheikh Hasina asked the authorities concerned to keep provisions there to record questions of farmers and answers of the researchers, extension workers and teachers and preserve those in the Krishi Batayan to use these later on.
The premier said Bangabandhu undertook massive programmes for the welfare of the farmers and development of the agriculture sector including providing seeds and fertilizers.
“Besides steps were also taken at that time to provide khas land to landless and build cluster villages to rehabilitate homeless people,” she said.
But after brutal assassination of Bangabandhu, she said, the farmers had remained neglected for a long time.
Sheikh Hasina said her government after assuming office implemented various programmes like giving importance to research on agriculture and creating opportunities for the farmers for which the country got good results and became self reliant on food production.
The government now wants to keep up such facilities to further improve agriculture sector of the country, she said, adding that over 5,275 digital centres have been set up across the country from where anyone can get information as required.
Sheikh Hasina praised the role of the agriculture officers in serving the purpose of the government in meeting problems of the farmers in rural areas.
Krishi Batayon is a central service portal. Some mobile apps have been developed for providing services from this portal or enriching its information for the necessity of services.
The mobile apps have been developed by taking into consideration the different necessities of the farmers and agriculture extension officials.
Any farmer included in the list of Krishi Batayon can make any question related to agriculture by making a call in no 3331 from his/her phone.
The mobile phone-based agriculture extension service Krishak Bandhu Phone Seba has been developed for giving uninterrupted and reliable advices among the farmers and the department of agriculture extension workers.
The Access 2 Information under the Prime Minister’s Office has developed the services in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture Extension.