Speaking as chief guest at the inaugural session of a workshop he said the growth of agribusiness and agro-processing industries has not picked up the momentum as desired.

The minister said India, Bhutan, Thailand and the Philippines, which produce agricultural commodities similar to those of Bangladesh, have developed aggressive programmes and policies, and are exporting their products to many developed countries.

The workshop on 'The draft actionable policy briefs and resource implications for the agriculture sector' was organised by the Ministry of Agriculture at LGED Bhaban at Agargaon in the city.

State Minister for Agriculture Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Rural Development Chief of World Bank Dr Mohinder Mudahar, Deputy Representative of UNDP Larry Maramis and Fao representative Bui Thi Lan attended the workshop as special guests.

The minister said agricultural research is also suffering from stagnation.

"While the research institutes claim to have useful technologies in their baskets, their application in the field is limited. New seeds with yield potential higher than the existing ones are not coming," he added.

The inaugural session was followed by a technical session where experts presented papers on various aspects of the agricultural sector such as seed, irrigation, mechanisation, marketing, research, extension and fertiliser.

Experts from different government and non-government organisations are taking part in two-day workshop.