Mahabub Hossain remembered

Economists and colleagues and classmates of agriculture and development economist Mahabub Hossain on Tuesday remembered his role in agricultural and rural development.
Mahabub Hossaion touched hearts of thousands of people including the farmers through his research works, they said at a commemorative meeting for Mahabub, who died on January 3 at Cleveland Clinic in the United States, held at Krishibid Institution in the city.
They also said that Mahabub Hossain’s works made a significant contribution to the country’s agriculture and rural development.
Senior economist Quazi Quamruzzaman presided over the meeting.
Mahabu’s fellow M Saiduzzaman, also senior economist, said that despite having his chance, Mahabub Hossain had worked as the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies director general and it was unique instance of the BIDS history.
‘He played important role in improving livelihood of millions of people in Bangladesh,’ he said.
Agriculture economist M. Asaduzzaman said that Mahabub Hossain always observed the social and economic issues from insight and discovered new avenues for researches.
Mahabub’s classmate Protima Pal said that her friend Mahabub was brilliant and hardworking man and asked the young generation economists to follow his life and work.
Principal secretary to Prime Minister’s Office Md Abdul Karim said that Mahabub Hossain had worked for millions of the people of Bangladesh to change their fortunes.
Former Bangladesh Agricultural University vice-chancellor Abdus Sattar Mandal said that Mahabub Hossain was very punctual in completing his assignment and the quality was reflected in all of his lifelong works.
Centre for Policy Dialogue executive director Mustafizur Rahman said that Mahabub Hossain always advised the fellow researchers to leave chairs and visit the respective fields to conduct the respective researches.
Dhaka University professor MM Akash said that half of the credit of agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury must go to Mahabub Hossain for his outstanding contribution in agricultural and rural development.
Mahabub’s younger brother Sakhawat Hossain, a physician by profession, said that along with his family Mahabub Hossain had migrated to Bangladesh from India during riot in 1952. His brother Mahabub, born in January 2, 1945, was very brilliant from childhood and contributed his knowledge to all spheres of society, he said.
Citizens for Good Governance secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council executive chairman Abul Kalam Azad, former BIDS fellows Abul Kashem, Binayak Sen and economists Shamsul Alam, and Abdul Bayes, among others, also spoke at the meeting.
Mahabub Hossain was chairperson of BRAC University department of economics and social science and former advisor to the executive director of BRAC. He was an internationally renowned development economist and researcher. During his distinguished career, he has worked for BRAC, BRAC University, International Rice Research Institute in Philippines, and Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies.
Mahabub Hossain was the first recipient of the Gold Medal from the Bangladesh Agricultural Economist Association. The Foreign Policy, a global magazine of politics and economics, featured him in their list of 500 most prominent individuals in the international arena.

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