Cooperation between Asia-Pacific countries needs to be reinforced to ensure food security: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday emphasised enhancing collaboration among the Asia-Pacific countries in agricultural research and education for ensuring food security alongside transferring and sharing of cutting-edge technologies.

She said this in her first recommendation among three placed at the opening ceremony of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)'s 36th Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific.

Bangladesh, for the first time, is hosting the virtual regional hybrid event. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined it virtually from United Arab Emirates.

presided over by Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, the Director-General of FAO QU Dongyu and Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim also spoke in the conference.

 "For ensuring food security . . . collaboration among the countries of the region in the field of agricultural research and education should be
enhanced," the premier said.

The Prime Minister in her second point, said transfer and sharing of cutting-edge technologies like bio-technology, nanotechnology, and robotics in agricultural sector needs to be strengthened among FAO member states in the region.

In the third and final point, Sheikh Hasina added: "As modern agriculture needs huge investment, special fund could be created to finance and support the agri-sector."

The Prime minister   said the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the agricultural sector like other sectors. At the initial stage of the pandemic in 2020, the supply chain was disrupted affecting both the producers and consumers, she said.

 "However, our timely and effective interventions helped the sector recover fast. We took special measures, including mechanization, to ensure unhindered food production and supply of agricultural inputs," she added.

Sheikh Hasina continued that the COVID-19 pandemic revealed how vulnerable human beings are in the face of such disaster, and it has also made surfaced how the human race by acting together can face such challenges.

She went on saying, "Food security is surely the most pressing issue for the people. About 305.7 million people in South Asia still suffer from hunger. We can arrange food for them easily if we all make sincere effort."

Focusing on Bangladesh's agriculture sector, the premier said although the relative significance of the agricultural sector in GDP has been diminishing in the country, the absolute contribution did not fall, but has rather increased and the agricultural GDP saw a 40 percent rise since 2005-06.

Despite the fall in its share, agriculture still remains the main source of employment, providing livelihood to 40 percent of the labour force, she said,adding that currently about 22.7 million people of which 45 percent are women are directly employed in the agricultural sector.

Source: BSS