Minister for Agriculture Matia Chowdhury said that the Government would extend all out cooperation to enhance rice research for ensuring food security of the country.
The Minister said this while she was inaugurating the annual research review workshop of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) as the Chief Guest on Monday (5 July 2010).
Showkat Momen Shajahan, MP, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture and A K M Mozammel Hoque, MP, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Land were the special guests.
About 300 hundred scientists, extension agents, policy makers and farmers attended the programme.
Experts of different disciplines have been presenting important papers on development of rice varieties, crop-soil-water management, disease and insect-pest control, rice farming systems, farm mechanization and post harvest technology etc in the five-day long workshop.

Dr. Md Jahan Ullah Chowdhury (57) , Chief Scientific Officer and head,Farm management Division of BRRI, passed away due Cancer complications on April 03, 2010 at 03.15 AM. He left behind his wife, a daughter, a host of relatives and colleagues to mourn his death.
We are deeply shocked at the departure of the prominent Scientist of BRRI.We pray for the salvation and eternal peace of the departed soul of Dr.Chowdhury and also convey sympathy to his bereaved family members.

Dr Md Abdul Mannan, a distinguished plant breeder of the country, joined Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) as Director General.
Prior to the new position Dr Mannan was the Director General of the Bangladesh Sugarcane Research Institute (BSRI).
He began his career as a Scientific Officer of the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) in 1979 and devotedly performed his duties at different positions over the last 31 years.
He obtained his BSc Ag (Honours) and MSc Ag degrees from Bangladesh Agricultural University in 1974 and 1975 respectively.

He did his PhD degree from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University in 2001. The title of his PhD thesis is 'Selection Efficiency at Early Stages of Sugarcane Breeding'.
Dr Mannan is directly involved in developing 20 new sugarcane varieties of the country.
At present, he is the most senior scientist in National Agricultural Research System (NARS) in Bangladesh.
He has 39 research articles published in different journals home and abroad.
Dr Mannan was born in 1954 in Jamalpur.
He has visited many countries including USA, Philippines, China, Thailand and Mexico in relation to his research works.
He is blessed with a daughter and a son.