The tenure of the Agriculture Commission has been extended once again on some grounds that do not seem logical, official sources said.

Now it has to complete its assignment by December this year.

The Commission finalised a report on development of agri-evuture in May and sought extension of its tenure on the plea of holding workshops for eliciting experts' views on its report.

"Over four months have Sassed but no initiatives for olding of workshops are still in sight. The Commission is simply sitting on a very important report which deals with the future agricultural economy of the country." said a source In-gwig in preparation of the re-

headed by

the Prime Minister's Food and Agriculture Adviser AM Ani-suzzaman was set up on November 9.' 1996 with a mandate to submit a report on 'crop sector' within a year.

The others in the Commission are Prof Wahid'uddin Mahmud. Prof Ainun Nishat. Dr SM Hasanuzzaman. Dr AMM Shawkat All. Dr Zahurul Karim. Shahidul Islam and Syed All Kabir.

"Inclusion of non-crop sec-tors in its terms of reference .later gave grounds for the

Commission to take a longer a time for preparing the report. After two and a half years, it finalised a report in May but the agriculture ministiy is still to get it," the source said.

"Now that the report is prepared but not disclosed or discussed. some policy decisions in agriculture sector taken recently were in sharp contrast with the Commission's recommendations", said a Commission member seeking anonymity.

In this connection, he referred to the government decision to hand over agricultural colleges to the education ministry and said. "We the members of the Commission are taken aback to see how our suggestion for keeping agriculture education under line ministry 18 being ignored".