Adviser Farida Akhter today spoke as the chief guest at a workshop at a hotel in the city. Photo: PID

DHAKA, Nov 24, 2025 (BSS) – Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter today said that agricultural land in Bangladesh is rapidly decreasing due to a combination of urbanization, industrialization, and unplanned development. 

“The problem is multifaceted. The rapid decrease in land is compounded by environmental damage. Chemical-based agriculture is destroying soil fertility and hindering overall agricultural production. Furthermore, new diseases and pests are emerging due to the harmful effects of climate change,” she  said.

The adviser said this while speaking as the chief guest at a workshop on 'Agricultural Land Protection and Land Use,' organized by the Bangladesh Agroecology Platform at a hotel in the city.

In her speech, Farida Akhter stressed that the conversation surrounding land rights must extend beyond just the agricultural sector. 

She highlighted that the excessive use of herbicides alongside pesticides is causing severe harm not only to farmland but also to the fisheries and livestock sectors.

The adviser noted that historically, 60 per cent of Bangladesh’s fish came from open water sources, and the remaining 40 per cent came from farming, but this scenario has now reversed.

Indigenous fish resources are under long-term threat as open water breeding and foraging grounds are being destroyed by pollution, filling, and unregulated tourism, she added.

Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Abu Taher Muhammad Zaber attended the workshop as the special guest while Director of the Policy Research for Development Alternatives (UBINIG) Jahangir Alam Joni chaired it.

Speakers underscored the vital economic role of farming, noting that agriculture still accounts for 11 percent of the country's GDP and serves as the main livelihood for most rural people.

However, the country’s 8.82 million hectares of cultivated land are diminishing rapidly. It was reported that approximately 80,000 hectares of agricultural land are lost every year due to urbanization, industrialization, and unplanned development.

The primary threats identified include land grabbing, privatization, chemical damage, and climate change.

Attendees, including stakeholders from the Ministries of Agriculture, Land, Environment, and Fisheries and Livestock, strongly urged the government to ensure the effective implementation of its proposed law aimed at protecting agricultural land.