Farida for ensuing food sovereignty

Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter today underscored the importance of achieving food sovereignty to ensure benefits of both farmers and consumers.

“We must work towards food sovereignty so it serves the interests of both farmers and consumers. Ensuring food security for consumers should go hand in hand with protecting farmers’ livelihoods,” she said.

The adviser was addressing the first session titled “Food Security and Fairness to Farmers” of “Agriculture, Food Security and Farmers' Fairness Conference 2025”, organized by Bonik Barta in the capital’s Hotel Sonargon, said a ministry press release.    

She pointed out that while food security is emphasized, the concerns of farmers are often overlooked as efforts are being made to keep food supply and prices affordable for urban people through imports.

Farida Akhter noted that while there is increasing discussion around the mechanization of agriculture, it's important to consider whether this shift is causing unintended harm.

She emphasized the need to balance both sides: ensuring consumers’ access to safe food, while also ensuring that farmers benefit from their production.

“If we destroy life and nature in the process of producing food, can we still call it food?", she asked, saying, "It becomes an industrial product.” 

Mentioning that pesticides can’t be used in haor, the adviser said haor is a very big source of fish and awareness needs to be created at the farmer level regarding it.

Conducted by Banik Barta Editor and Publisher Dewan Hanif Mahmud, Agriculture Secretary Dr Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian spoke as the guest of honor. 

Bangladesh Agricultural University vice chancellor Dr. AK Fazlul Haque Bhuiyan, former Director General of Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute Dr Jahangir Alam, TK Group Director Mohammad Mustafa Haider, President of ACI Agri Business Division Dr FH Ansari, and Managing Director of National Agricare Group KSM Mostafizur Rahman, among others, took part as panel discussants.