Fisheries and livestock adviser Farida Akhter at a programme on Saturday called upon all concerned to stop the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in livestock.
Farida Akhter made the remarks while speaking as chief guest at the inauguration of the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute regional centre at Saidpur in Nilphamari, said a press release.
She also warned that such practices contribute to antimicrobial resistance in bacteria, which could pose a serious threat to human health in the future.
鈥榃hen humans and livestock live maintaining proximity, harmful substances used in animals can enter the human body. Therefore, we must be cautious in the use of antibiotics,鈥� she said, emphasising the importance of protecting local poultry breeds from extinction.
She also noted that Bangladesh鈥檚 geographical diversity demanded region-specific preservation of domestic resources, calling for identifying the causes of regional losses and taking corrective measures, while also encouraging initiatives to boost the popularity of duck eggs alongside indigenous chicken.
She said, 鈥榃e must also attain self-reliance in the feed industry. Dependence on imported ingredients for food production can jeopardise national food security.鈥�
During her visit to the BLRI regional centre, the adviser responded to a query on beef imports, affirming that the government remained committed to safeguarding the interests of farmers engaged in meat production and will not adopt any policy that harms the country.
Later, while visiting the freshwater sub-centre of the BFRI, she said that research was underway to restore endangered fish species, and that proper food management and strategic interventions could help conserve them.
Fisheries and livestock secretary Abu Tahir Muhammed Zaber was present as special guest at the programme.
He said that rising food prices inevitably lead to increased costs of poultry and eggs, making research into low-cost food management essential.
He also stressed the need to enhance the ministry鈥檚 branding among stakeholders and assured full support of training for personnel in the sector.
BLRI director general Shakila Faruque presided over the workshop.
She said that BLRI prioritised domestic resources in its research and would continue efforts to conserve local breeds and reduce food production costs.
Additional secretary Nilufa Akhtar, Department of Fisheries DG Md Abdur Rouf, Department of Livestock DG Md Abu Sufian, and BFRI DG Anuradha Bhadra also spoke at the programme.
The keynote paper was presented by Md Sajedul Karim Sarkar, chief scientific officer and head of the Poultry Research Centre at BLRI, and project director of the Poultry Research and Development Strengthening Project.