Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addresses the opening ceremony of the Livestock Services Week and Exhibition 2024 as the chief guest at the old Trade Fair Ground at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the city on Thursday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has alleged that Khaleda Zia announced to ensure rice and lentil for the countrymen during her tenure, but failed to provide those.
Then, during 2007, she said Caretaker Government's chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed and then army chief Moinuddin Ahmed asked people to have potatoes.
"Someone wanted to feed us lentil and someone potatoes," she said while addressing the opening ceremony of the Livestock Services Week and Exhibition 2024 as the chief guest at the old Trade Fair Ground at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the city on Thursday.
Mentioning that Bengalis like rice and fish, Sheikh Hasina said it is enough for them if they get rice and fish.
"We want rice-fish. We have to look at the issue. Now, there is no shortage of rice-fish, lentil-fish," she added.
The premier also laid emphasis on ensuring food and nutrition security, calling upon the private sector to step forward for the development of the country's poultry, fisheries and livestock sectors.
"I want the private sector to come forward. I would like to see more entrepreneurs in the private sector. I want to help in every way. Through this, we also want to increase the employment of the people of the country," she said.
She said that if everyone does business and trade on their own initiative instead of chasing behind the jobs after graduation, then "we can progress a lot".
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina holds chicks while visiting a stall at the opening ceremony of the Livestock Services Week and Exhibition 2024 as the chief guest at the old Trade Fair Ground at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the city on Thursday.
Sheikh Hasina urged all to encourage the country's youth to become entrepreneurs, so that, in future, they don't need to depend on anyone.
Referring to the attaining of food security, she said, "We believe that we can ensure our nutrition as well."
The prime minister also mentioned that buffaloes and sheep are being produced in the country's char lands, even in Bhasan Char, where the Rohingyas have been given shelter and buffaloes, sheep, poultry and fishes are being farmed.
"If we use the land we have, we can meet our own needs," she said.
She urged all to come forward in the country's dairy and other sectors as well.
"We want to further develop our livestock sector. Online systems have already been developed to serve this livestock sector," she said, hoping that it will be useful enough for it.
Sheikh Hasina also emphasised improving the storage capacity of all products including food grains, and fish and meat items for ensuring food security.
She asked concerned people to provide nontoxic food for the fisheries and livestock animals for ensuring safe food.
The premier encouraged the private entrepreneurs' to work for improving poultry, fisheries and livestock sectors in the country.
"The government will provide all support," she said.
With Fisheries and Livestock Minister Md Abdur Rahman in the chair, Secretary Md Selim Uddin delivered the address of welcome.
President of Bangladesh Dairy Farmers' Association Imran Hossain spoke as the representative of the country's dairy sector while Joint Convener of Bangladesh Poultry Industry Central Council (BPICC) Mashiur Rahman spoke as the representative of poultry sector.
At the outset of the programme, a documentary on the progress and achievement of the present government in the livestock sector was screened.
