Twenty-six individuals and six organisations were today honoured with Bangabandhu Jatiya Krishi Puroshkar-1423, (Bangabandhu National Agriculture Award-1423), the highest state recognition in the agriculture sector.

Of them, five received gold medals, nine silver medals and 18 bronze medals for their outstanding contribution to different fields in agriculture.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally handed over the awards to them at a ceremony in Osmani Memorial Auditorium here this morning.

The Ministry of Agriculture arranged the function with Agriculture Minister and Chairman of Bangabandhu Krishi Puroshkar Trust Begum Matia Chowdhury in the chair.

Fisheries and Livestock Minister Narayan Chandra Chanda was present at the function as the special guest.

Senior Secretary of the Agriculture Ministry Mohammad Moinuddin Abdullah delivered the welcome address and also conducted the award-giving ceremony.

On behalf of the winners, Begum Farhana Yasmin of Jessore also spoke.

The gold medal winners are: The Department of Fisheries, Alhaj Md Maqbul Hossain, MP, Nazimuddin Chowdhury, Professor Dr Rakhhari Sarkar and Md Aminul Islam.

Those who received silver medals are: Golden Burn Kingdom Private Ltd, Dr Khan Md Moniruzzaman, Mosammat Sultana Yasmin, Md Selim Reza, Begum Saleha Iqbal, Sakhawat Hossain, Md Israfil Alam, MP, Md Nazim Uddin Haidar and Begum Lovely Yasmin.

The bronze medal winners are: Messers Fatema Enterprise, Md Bakul Hossain, Md Abdul Qadir, Md Amzad Hossain, Krishibid Sheikh Md Muzahid Nomani, Md Shahidul Islam Khan, Moyenpur Krishi Tathya and Jogajog Kendra, Md Nizam Uddin, Begum Farhana Yasmin, Shikha Rani Chakravarti, Md Babul Aktar, Sheikh Humayun Kabir, Md Mahfuzur Rahman, Md Mehedi Ahsan Ullah Chowdhury, Singpat Mro, Barind Galij Krishi Unnayon Samobaya Samity, Chithalia CIG (fasal) Samabaya Samity Ltd and Sarwar Alam Mazumdar Babul.

Each of the gold medal winners received Taka one lakh cash along with an 18-carat gold medal weighing 25 grammes, while each silver medal winner got Tk 50,000 cash along with the medal made of 25 grammes pure silver and each bronze medal winner received Tk 25,000 cash along with a bronze medal.

These awards were given for their special contribution to agriculture research and expansion, cooperatives motivation, technology innovation, commercial farming, aforestation, rearing livestock and poultry and fish farming.

In 1973, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman introduced the award in order to take forward the agri-based economy of the newly independent country.

After the assassination of Bangabandhu in 1975, the subsequent government stopped the award.

But after assuming office in 2009, the present Awami League government framed "The Bangabandhu Jatiya Krishi Purashkar Tahabil Ain-2009" for giving institutional shape to the award introduced by Bangabandhu.

The Bangabandhu Jatiya Krishi Purashkar Trust Law, 2016 was enacted to make the activities more dynamic.