Agriculture is the mainstay of our economy. Moreover, agriculture contributes the most to poverty alleviation, food security and ensuring sustainable development. Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman believed in his heart that if they did not improve, the country would not improve and the benefits of independence would not come. So his diligent effort was to give priority to agriculture. Especially industrial agriculture. During the rule of Pakistan, there was no expansion of industry in this country, especially in the northern part of the country. The sugar industry is the only resource here, most of which was established during the British period. So with an eye on building the country, he insisted on reorganizing the sugar industry. He deeply understood the need to introduce integrated agricultural education, research and extension systems and felt the need for modernization and overall development of research institutes. Bangabandhu issued an ordinance in 1973 for this purpose. This order signifies the trend of radical change in agricultural research and the agricultural system.
The instructions of the non-cooperation movement were announced by Bangabandhu on 15 March 1971 as part of a continuous movement during the turbulent period of the pre-independence movement. Out of the total 35 instructions, the 18th instruction was about the movement of agricultural products and the absence of any restrictions on the sale and purchase of agricultural products.
Article 25 (3) of the same directive directed the banks to continue financing even in the turbulent days of the movement, including "financing the purchase of industrial raw materials, including sugarcane for sugar mills and jute for jute mills."
In other words, even in those turbulent days, he did not get lost in emotion and made arrangements to protect agriculture and agro-based industries. Sugarcane was one of them. This is how his love for sugarcane blossomed, which culminated after independence.
Considering all these, immediately after independence, the Father of the Nation formed Bangladesh Sugar Mills Corporation in 1972 by order No. 28 of His Excellency the President. Which was later established as Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation.
The research institute which was established in this country under the name of Sugarcane Seed Laboratory in 1931 at Manipuri Para, Dhaka and turned into a full-fledged research institute (Sugarcane Research Station) at Ishwardi in 1951 was destroyed in the great liberation war of 1971.
He reorganized the ruined institution as 'Bangladesh Sugarcane Research Institute' and established 'Bangladesh Sugarcane Research Institute' in 1973. Because he knew that no crop could be developed without research. Agricultural development of the country is not possible by importing varieties or technology. So in addition to research, he took up ‘Intensive Sugarcane Development Project’ and ‘Farm Modernization Project’ to increase sugarcane cultivation and develop the sugar industry. He took initiative to set up new sugar mills and replace and modernize the equipment of some existing sugar mills.
He had goodwill for the development of sugar as well as molasses industry. That is why the passionate love of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is associated with sugarcane-sugar-molasses. That is why the 'Bangladesh Sugarcane Research Institute' Act was passed in 1996 and the 'Bangladesh Sugarcrop Research Institute' Act in 2020 under the leadership of his worthy daughter Hon'ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the successor of his ideology.
The father of the nation liked to eat molasses himself. His daughter is pictured in a memoir of the Prime Minister. ‘He liked very simple rice, fish soup, vegetables. At the end of the meal, he liked milk, rice, molasses and banana very much. '(My father Sheikh Mujib.
He had in common with the common people of the village. Ordinary people also liked molasses more than sugar. Molasses is still a rural industry. However, at present some unscrupulous traders are trying to adulterate the molasses. Preventing this malpractice will ensure safe and nutritious food in the election manifesto of the present government.