Agriculture Minister. Md. Abdur Razzak said Bangladesh will host the 36th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 2022. Bangladesh received this honor for the first time since joining the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1973. Although Bangladesh became a member of the FAO in 1973, no conference has been held in Bangladesh so far. This achievement on the centenary of the birth of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and on the eve of the fiftieth anniversary of independence is a matter of great pride and honor for the country. The 37th Session in Dhaka will open new doors for the exchange of views and mutual cooperation on the achievements, successes, technologies, and innovations of the countries of the region.
The minister was speaking to reporters after the 35th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) at Hotel Intercontinental in the capital on Friday. At the time, Agriculture Secretary Md. Nasiruzzaman, Food Secretary. Moshammat Nazmanara Khanum and FAO Bangladesh Representative Robert D. Simpson were present. During the briefing, the Minister said that China, India, Bhutan, Iran, Timur, Thailand, Philippines, and Cambodia have given their full support and consent to the proposal of the Government of Bangladesh to hold the 36th Conference in Bangladesh.
The Regional Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a formal forum where the Ministers of Agriculture and other senior officials of the member countries meet to discuss food and agriculture challenges and solutions.
The Minister further said that Bangladesh has achieved unimaginable success in agriculture and food security in the last 40 years. Today, Bangladesh is self-sufficient in granular food, especially in the face of natural disasters, population growth, and depletion of arable land, climate change, and the increasing salinity in the south. This achievement of Bangladesh is a role model and example for other member countries. During the briefing, the Minister said that Bhutan has organized the 35th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference this year through video conference on September 1-4. This regional conference is held every two years.
More than 400 delegates from 41 of the 47 member countries of the Asia-Pacific region, including ministers, senior government officials, the private sector, civil society, academia, and technical experts in the food and agriculture sector, participated. He added that 31 ministers and 26 vice-ministers participated in the ministerial session on September 3-4. 6 Ministries of Bangladesh such as Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Food, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Environment. Ministry of Forests and Climate Change, Department of Economic Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs participated.
The Minister said, “We are working relentlessly to continue the trend of increasing agricultural production in Bangladesh by coping with any situation including epidemics, cyclone Ampan, ongoing prolonged floods. All the departments under it, including the Ministry of Agriculture, are very alert and active even in the face of corona risk. As a result, our food production continues in Corona. I hope there will be no food crisis in the country due to Corona. Due to the Covid-19 situation, the 35th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) was held through the Vivo Conference. Agriculture Minister.
The high-level delegation of Bangladesh led by Md. Abdur Razzak, MP included Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder, MP, Agriculture Secretary Md. Nasiruzzaman, Food Secretary Dr. Moshammat Nazmanara Khanum, Bangladesh Ambassador to Italy Abdus Sobhan Sikder, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture. Md. Abdur Rauf, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Md. Nazrul Islam, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Md. Taufiqul Arif, Joint Secretary of the Department of Economic Relations Rabbi Mia, and Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change Md. Ashfaqul Islam Babul.
Source: www.moa.gov.bd
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