A total of 44 persons and organisations are going to receive Bangabandhu National Agriculture Award for their outstanding contribution to different fields in agriculture – for the Bangla years of 1425 and 1426 – tomorrow, Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque said today.

The award will be given at a function at Osmani Memorial Auditorium while Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will join it virtually from her official residence Gonobhaban.

Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque shared the information at a press briefing held at the Secretariat.

Among the recipients, 15 persons and organisations will receive the award for the Bangla year 1425 (2018) while 29 persons and organisations will receive the award for Bangla year 1426 (2019), under Bangabandhu Jatiya Krishi Purashkar Trust Law, 2016.

There will be three gold medals, 16 silver medals and 25 bronze medals while certificates, awards and cash will also be given out among the recipients, he said.

Those who receive gold medals will be given Tk one lakh in cash while Tk 50,000 and Tk 25,000 will be provided to the silver medal and bronze medal recipients, respectively, he added.

In 1973, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman introduced the award in order to take forward the agro-based economy of the newly independent country.

After Bangabandhu’s assassination in 1975, the subsequent government stopped the award.

But after assuming office in 2009, the Awami League government framed “The Bangabandhu Jatiya Krishi Purashkar Tahbil Ain-2009” – giving institutional shape to the award introduced by Bangabandhu.

The Bangabandhu Jatiya Krishi Purashkar Trust Law, 2016 was enacted to make the activities more dynamic.