Agriculture Minister MK Anwar said this at an agricultural planning meeting spelling out his apprehension that problem in marketing and preservation might have negative bearings on the overall agricultural productions.

The minister was speaking as chief guest at the 4-day first annual review and planning meeting of a tri-nation agricultural project on 'Accelerating Technology Adoption to Improve Rural Livelihoods in the Rainfed Eastern Gangetic Plains' at the Brac Centre in the city.

International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics (ICRISAT), International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) and World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) are participating in the IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development) funded 3-year project.

Head of the Social Science Division of IRRI and Leader of this project Dr Mahabub Hossain gave an overview of the project saying that works were going on in 12 specific sites in Bangladesh, Nepal and India bridging the yield gap.

"We're adopting a farmer-participatory approach and recommending rapid technology transfer at end-users level," he added.

Earlier in his welcome address, Deputy Director General of IRRI Dr Ren Wang appreciated the collaborative moves by various stakeholders and laid emphasis on the development of location-specific crop management.

State Minister for Agriculture Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir addressed the inaugural session as special guest while representatives of other participatory international organisations also spoke.