Another flood may come next month: Agriculture minister

Bangladesh may see another flood next month, said Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque on Thursday.

Razzaque said, as per the forecast, the government has taken measures to face the next flood as a routine work.

He also said his ministry has enough preparation to face natural calamities like floods, drought and cyclones that badly affect agriculture. At the same time, the cultivation of late varieties of paddy has been stressed in flood-prone areas.   

The agriculture minister said this at a review meeting over (Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in the agricultural sector at his office on Thursday (14 July).

Agriculture secretary Sayedul Islam presided over the meeting while officials of the ministry, chiefs of various organisations and departments, agriculture entrepreneurs and business representatives were present.

Razzaque said agriculture always faces risk of natural calamities. Recent floods in the 12 districts including Sylhet and Sunamganj have severely damaged crops.

He said the government's main target is the commercialisation of agriculture for the benefits of  farmers.  In this case, cooperation from the industrialists is a must.

"Agricultural machineries are now expensive. Around 90% of agricultural machineries are import-based. We want to make these machineries in the country. PPP can play an important role in this sector," he said.

After the meeting, Razzak told journalists the government has approved the import of rice to stabilise the prices of this staple.

There is no apprehension of loss of the local rice growers for import permission, the minister asserted.