DHAKA, June 14, 2023 (BSS) - Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque today said mushroom farming has huge potentials in country and asked agriculture officers to create 200-300 mushroom entrepreneurs in every upazila.

'Mushroom farming is a very potential sector. It is very nutritious food containing around 22 percent protean whereas rice contains 8pc and wheat contains 12percent. Mushroom is also a cash crop," he said.

Razzaque was addressing a national seminar on 'Improvement of Nutrition and Reduction of Poverty through Mushroom Cultivation' at Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) auditorium at Farmgate here.

He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government has reduced the poverty rate to 18 percent from 40pc and extreme poverty rate to 6pc from 18pc.
If mushroom farming can be expanded extensively, there will be no poverty in the country, he added.

"Besides, we can export mushroom within 3-5 years next," he said.

About the issuance of statement by six European parliamentarians, Razzaque, also Awami League presidium member, said the statement is as like as BNP's statement.

Noting that religious minorities and ethnic groups remain safe at highest level during AL's tenure, he said the statement of European parliamentarians is unexpected.

Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Director General Badal Chandra Biswas chaired the seminar while Department of Agricultural Marketing Md Masud Karim addressed it as the guest of honor and BARC Executive Chairman Dr. Shaikh Mohammad Bokhtiar and Agriculture Ministry Additional Secretary Rabindra Sri Barua spoke as the special guests.

Social Services Department Director General Dr Abu Saleh Mostafa Kamal, DAE former Director General Hamidur Rahman and former additional director Nirod Chandra Sarker joined the seminar as discussants.

Improvement of Nutrition and Reduction of Poverty through Mushroom Cultivation project director Dr Akhter Jahan Kakon presented the keynote paper.

She said around 40-41 thousand metric tonnes of mushroom worth around Taka 800 crore is being cultivated every year in the country.

Bangladesh has opportunities to export mushrooms to different economically developed countries in the world, she added.

She said cultivators started exporting dry oyster mushrooms which have huge demand in Dubai, Malaysia and Singapore and other countries.

She said the DAE has taken Improvement of Nutrition and Reduction of Poverty through Mushroom Cultivation project for expanding mushroom cultivation and popularize it as food.

It is a five-year term project from 2023-27 and its total budget is Taka 96 crore, she added.