Agriculture Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid. File Photo

SANGSAD BHABAN, June 18, 2026 (BSS)-Agriculture Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid today said wheat is currently being cultivated on some 288,000 hectares of land across the country as the government intensifies efforts to boost domestic wheat production to ensure food security.

The minister disclosed the information in a written reply to a question tabled by treasury bench member Selina Sultana (women seat-35) in the Jatiya Sangsad.

The government is implementing a range of programmes to expand wheat cultivation across the country, he said.

According to the minister, the initiatives include the expansion of new and high-yielding wheat varieties in major wheat-producing areas, incorporation of wheat into rice-based cropping systems, and promotion of profitable four-crop cultivation practices in the light-textured soils of the northern region.

He said the government has also taken steps to extend wheat cultivation to non-traditional areas.

Measures have been undertaken to expand wheat farming in the saline-prone coastal belt, fallow lands in Sylhet region, char areas, Barind tract, plain lands in hilly regions and lands previously used for tobacco cultivation, he said.

The minister said efforts are also underway to develop and disseminate wheat varieties capable of yielding six tons or more per hectare.

At the same time, initiatives are being implemented to train farmers and ensure fair prices for wheat growers, he added.

Highlighting government support for farmers, Amin Ur Rashid said incentives are being provided annually to encourage greater wheat production.

To increase wheat cultivation in the country, farmers are being provided with seeds, fertilisers and other necessary support under government incentive programmes every year, he said.

The minister informed the House that under the agricultural incentive programme for 2025-26 fiscal year, a total of 279,300 farmers in all 64 districts received assistance. Each beneficiary was provided with 20 kilograms of wheat seed, 10 kilograms of DAP fertiliser and 10 kilograms of MOP fertiliser for every bigha of land.

Ongoing expansion programmes and support measures will contribute significantly to increasing wheat output and reducing dependence on imports in the coming years, the minister hoped.