India to help manufacture agro machineries in Bangladesh: Pranay

Indian High Commissioner Pranay Kumar Verma on Thursday said steps will be taken so that Indian companies can produce agriculture machineries in Bangladesh by setting up their factories in this country, reports news agency BSS.

“Initiatives will be taken to encourage India’s Mahindra and other agriculture machinery manufacturers to set up their factories in Bangladesh and invest in manufacturing and assembling agricultural machineries locally here,” he said.

The Indian envoy gave the assurance at a meeting with agricultural minister Mohammad Abdur Razzaque at his Secretariat office, said a press release.

Verma expressed interest in signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for increasing cooperation between agricultural research institutes of the two countries.

During the meeting, Razzaque sought India’s cooperation for providing onion and jute seeds for the upcoming summer season since the country witnessed a good yield of onion in summer this year with the seeds imported from Maharashtra.

Besides, the agriculture minister also sought India’s cooperation in different areas, including imparting training to scientists, developing seed technology, supplying high-yielding varieties and seedlings of cashew and coffee as well as for agro processing and nanotechnology and biotechnology.

He also sought cooperation in combating terrorism, communalism, drug and human trafficking.

Agriculture secretary Wahida Akter and additional secretary Md. Ruhul Amin Talukder were present at the meeting.

After the meeting with Indian high commissioner, Razzaque talked to the newspersons and said that Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) could not topple the government through arson-terrorism, movements, hartals, blockades and mass rallies.

“Not only by 11 January, BNP won’t be able to topple the government even by 11 December next,” he added.