A total of 44 persons and organisations on Wednesday received Bangabandhu National Agriculture Award for their outstanding contribution to different fields in agriculture - for the Bangla years of 1425 and 1426.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave the awards among the recipients at a function at Osmani Memorial Auditorium when she joined virtually from her official residence--Ganabhaban.

Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, on behalf of the Prime Minister, handed over the awards.

Among the recipients, 15 persons and organisations received the award for the Bangla year-1425 (2018) while 29 persons and organisations received the award for Bangla year-1426 (2019), under Bangabandhu Jatiya Krishi Purashkar Trust Law, 2016.

There are three gold medals, 16 silver medals and 25 bronze medals while certificates, awards and cash were also given out to the recipients.

Those who received gold medals got Tk1 lakh in cash while Tk50,000 and Tk25,000 were provided to the silver medal and bronze medal recipients.

In 1973, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman introduced the award to take forward the agro-based economy of the new country.

After Bangabandhu's assassination in 1975, the subsequent governments suspended the award.

But after assuming office in 2009, the Awami League government framed "The Bangabandhu Jatiya Krishi Purashkar Tahbil Ain-2009" - 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.