State Minister for the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives Md Abdul Wadud on Friday said that there is no alternative of cooperative agriculture revolution for the betterment of the people of the country.
The State Minister came up with the statement while addressing as a chief guest at the 37th Annual General Meeting (Fiscal Year 2022-23) of the Cooperative Credit Union League of Bangladesh Limited at the conference room of the Directorate of Cooperatives at Agargaon in the capital on Friday.
The state minister said, "I am determined to spread the cooperative farming system, dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu, as per the direction of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina'.
Because the prerequisite for the development of the country is 70% rural development and the development of agriculture. So we move forward on the basis of cooperative. The government has also taken up various schemes for the modernization of cooperative agriculture. The beneficiaries are the vast population of the rural areas. A cooperative economic system should be developed to be self-reliant in individual and family life.
Abdul Wadud said, “Cooperatives will be formed in every village. There will be cooperatives in 41,000 wards. Every police station will have a cooperative.I will visit north-south, east-west of the country. I will talk to the cooperatives. I will help in making new products in every village by taking their opinion and consulting with experts’.
The state minister added that rural development and cooperatives contribute about 2% to the country's GDP. Co-operative unions have to work on how to increase the GDP. People of all castes and religions must work together tirelessly to build a happy-prosperous smart Bangladesh for the next generation. For this it is necessary to strengthen the cooperative societies.
He also said that more investment should be made in technology so that its benefits can be reaped in agriculture as well. Credit unions need to play a bigger role.
