Land Adviser Ali Imam Majumder has emphasized the urgent need to formulate and implement the Agricultural Land Protection Ordinance, noting that safeguarding farmland has become an imperative of the time. He said agricultural land is the foundation of the nation’s existence, and its loss would endanger food security, environmental balance, and the country’s agrarian culture.
He made these remarks on Tuesday while presiding over a consultation meeting on the draft of the “Land Use Control and Agricultural Land Protection Ordinance, 2025,” held at the conference room of the Ministry of Land.
Majumder said that the majority of Bangladesh’s population depends directly or indirectly on agriculture. However, increasing population pressure, unplanned development, rapid urbanization, and industrial expansion are causing a severe decline in agricultural land. Fertile land is being lost every day to residential, commercial, and industrial use, leaving farmers in crisis and disrupting environmental equilibrium.
He warned that a reduction in arable land inevitably leads to decreased food production, which could result in food shortages. Agricultural land, he said, is vital for food security, the rural economy, and ecological stability. With farmland shrinking every year, legal protection has become essential to safeguard food security for future generations.
Majumder noted that urban and industrial zones are gradually encroaching upon rural farmland. Once the ordinance is enacted, the government will immediately initiate comprehensive land zoning and protection measures. This will involve detailed analysis of current land use, natural characteristics, and topography through advanced digitalized technologies, supplemented by on-site inspections. The government will then prepare “land zoning maps” demarcated by mouza, plot, or other boundary indicators.
The ordinance classifies land into 18 distinct zones. Government agencies will ensure land protection and management based on usage categories and the natural characteristics of each zone.
Majumder further said that agricultural land is not merely a site for crop production; it plays a crucial role in maintaining environmental balance, conserving water bodies, and preserving biodiversity. Protecting farmland, he added, means protecting nature itself. He observed that in many cases, farmland is being filled illegally for constructing houses, factories, or brick kilns. The proposed law, he said, would help bring such activities under control.
The consultation was attended by Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Housing and Public Works Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Land ASM Saleh Ahmed, and secretaries from relevant ministries.
