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Focus on agro-based industries to strengthen economy

Published : Monday, 4 December, 2023 at 12:00 AM  Count : 592
Johora Yasmin
Most of the people of agrarian Bangladesh are farmers. People dependent on agriculture are spending a lot of labor to expand this sector. Neglecting agriculture will not only lead to the development of the industrial sector, but will lead to the overall economic development of the country. Along with the proper development of agriculture, expansion of industry and service sector will help in building a strong economic base. Agricultural industry in Bangladesh is not very prosperous.

Apart from agriculture-based jute industry, textile industry, leather industry, sugar industry, tea industry, there is not much information about the rest. Start today and finish tomorrow. Just as the beginning is not well-planned, there is no trace of how it ends. Not much planning or importance is given to the establishment of agro-based industries. The amount of money invested in the name of Central Bank's EEF fund for agricultural development, it is necessary to find out how much development of agriculture-based industry has taken place.

However, if agriculture-based industry can ensure good management, agriculture industry would have progressed with any industry. Factories built with imported raw materials are generally not profitable. Because it does not add value. Agriculture Main Agricultural raw materials are readily available in Bangladesh. If agricultural products are considered as raw materials of industry and agriculture-based industry is developed with due importance through research and research, then Bangladesh will go much further, much more improved than the present.

China, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and many other countries are making different types of food products using agricultural products and marketing them all over the world. Similarly, if the industry can be established using agricultural products, the economy of Bangladesh will be stronger. A large quantity of delicious guavas are produced in Patia of Barisal and Chittagong. The sweet and delicious pineapples of hilly areas of Chittagong Hill Tracts and Madhupur of Tangail are very popular among the people of the country.

The fertile soil of our country produces a large amount of juicy seasonal fruits including watermelon, corn. Farmers are forced to sell these fruits at nominal prices during the season. However, by establishing the agricultural industry, all these guavas, pineapples and other seasonal fruits can be made and marketed in the country and abroad by making jelly, juice, squash and other various food products.

The national fruit of Bangladesh, jackfruit, is produced all over the country, but the production of jackfruit is very high in the red soil of Joydevpur. During the jackfruit season the actual producers do not get any price at all. All that earn is middlemen and retailers. But in Thailand, jackfruit cells are making 'chips' and marketing them all over the world including Bangladesh in beautiful packaging. The local variety of banana produced in the hilly areas of Chittagong Hill Tracts is very sweet and delicious.

The quantity of bananas produced is much higher than the local market demand. As a result, those bananas are usually supplied to Chittagong city market for sale. These tasty banana 'chips' can be made and marketed in the country and abroad. In developed countries including America, Canada, Japan, there is a food market of various types of fruits including banana, jackfruit chips. All over the world, there is a demand for various types of fruits and agricultural products including mangoes, pineapples, bananas, jackfruits, guavas produced in Bangladesh. Not only that, recently the demand for sweet potato produced in Bangladesh has increased in Japan.

Several types of sweet potato are grown in Bangladesh. Recent demand has led to an increase in the production of the sweet variety favored by the Japanese. The Ministry of Agriculture has taken up special schemes to export sweet potatoes to Japan. As sweet potato is exportable abroad, the price of sweet potato has also increased. Making a variety of Japanese favorite dishes with sweet potatoes also requires planning for export. As a result, value will be added to sweet potato products. Farmers will get higher prices, sweet potato industry will develop, foreign exchange will be earned.

In this way, by establishing a specialized agricultural export zone with special importance in the production of other fruits, cultivation, management, collection and storage according to the demand, the necessary tests and inspections can be arranged for export.

According to the official commentary, 81 percent of the total milk produced in Bangladesh is used in sweet shops and tea shops. Grassroots farmers depend on the handouts of sweet shopkeepers and tea shopkeepers. If the weather is bad, milk is not sold. Marginal farmers are also paying cash to encourage small traders who buy milk produced by them. But what's next? The milk purchased by these small businessmen can be combined to set up large dairies, more quantity of milk can be pasteurized and packaged as per the demand and the demand of the country can be met by setting up more number of powdered milk production industries.

With this powdered milk, the main ingredient of making sweets can be made 'Dudher Chana'. In this process, milk produced by marginal farmers will be sold at a reasonable price, because of natural environment or social instability or international conspiracy or for any reason, the business, investment, marketing of dairy farmers will not be dependent on the whims of sweet shopkeepers. Through processing, milk will be 'value added', farmers will be encouraged to raise cows by getting additional value of milk, employment will increase. A large amount of foreign exchange will be saved if the demand can be met with quality powdered milk produced in one's own country.

Generally, when a product appears in a new form through chemical action or any process or is made as a new product in which new or more value is added or value added, it is an industrial product. Agriculture based industry is the processing and marketing of agricultural products as raw materials with value addition. Agro-industry starts from seed production and processing, organic fertilizer production, marketing, food preparation using produce, marketing, export, fish hatchery, fish food, fish farm, fish processing, beef-poultry feed production, processing, marketing, poultry Hatchery, Beef Fattening, Egg-Milk-Fish-Meat Production Processing, Marketing, etc. Agricultural industry in Bangladesh has immense potential.

The use of readily available agricultural products as raw materials in agro-based industries adds value to the products, thereby encouraging farmers to produce more agricultural products by getting a fair price for their produce. It increases employment. After supplying the manufactured goods to the local market, the surplus can be exported abroad to earn huge foreign exchange. As a result, the country's economy will be strong and sustainable.

The writer is Manager, Public Relations Sub-Department, Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation



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