On a sunlit morning in 1972, the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, stood upon a heap of ashes and ruins. Around him were cries of despair, the agony of homeless people, and empty granaries. Yet, amid that anguish, his eyes held the vision of a rising, self-reliant Bangladesh. He called upon the nation to transform the soil of a war-torn motherland into gold. Although the lion's share of the development budget had to be spent on housing and infrastructure rehabilitation, his heart ached to see a glimmer of a smile on the weary faces of farmers. For that reason, in the independent nation's very first fiscal year, he dedicated 101 crore Taka out of a total budget of 500 crore Taka solely to the agricultural sector. He established the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute and exempted land taxes for holdings up to 25 bighas, sowing the seeds of a 'Green Revolution.' But on the dark night of August 15, 1975, the bullets of assassins abruptly halted that dream, leaving the farmers' aspirations to crumble into dust through neglect and starvation.

Legacy of Blood and the Torch of Hope

Dispelling 21 years of gloomy darkness in 1996, the worthy heir to his blood and ideals took up the torch to fulfill her father's unachieved dream. Entrusted with the sincere faith of the masses, Sheikh Hasina, the five-time Prime Minister of Bangladesh, assumed leadership of the country. Not merely as a head of government, but like a deeply affectionate daughter, she understood the thirst of this land and the tears of its farmers. Upon coming to power, she swept open the closed doors of stagnant agriculture. In 1999, she formulated the historic 'National Agriculture Policy,' which was later revised and modernized in 2009 and 2013 to meet the needs of the times, sparking a silent revolution in Bengal's agricultural sector.

A New Pulse of Life in the Earth

The steadfast policies of the government under Sheikh Hasina, the five-time Prime Minister of Bangladesh, alongside the adoption of modern technology in seed production, the development of high-yielding and stress-tolerant varieties, and massive fertilizer subsidies, breathed magical life into Bengal's soil. Fields began to ripple with golden stalks of paddy swaying in the wind. The same farmers who once despaired over a handful of fertilizer or a drop of irrigation water gained easy access to agricultural inputs and the facility to open bank accounts for just 10 Taka. Life returned to the soil, and a gentle smile of relief illuminated the sweat-glistening brows of the farmers. Erasing the Curse to Achieve a Miracle

When assuming office in 1996, the nation labored under the cruel curse of a 4 million metric ton food deficit. Honoring both visionary leadership and the backbreaking labor of hard-working farmers, Sheikh Hasina, the five-time Prime Minister of Bangladesh, transformed that curse into a blessing. By elevating total food grain production to 41.325 million metric tons in 2018, she stunned the entire world. Bangladesh morphed into a miracle of food surplus. Erasing the humiliating stigma of hunger and poverty, a new sun of self-respect was planted—one that continues to illuminate every horizon of Bengal today.

Author: Dr. Awlad Hossain, Politician and Political Analyst