Bangladesh
FAO Conference Bangladesh elected president of FAO's APRC, next conference in Sri Lanka
Own Correspondent, Dhaka, March 12: Bangladesh has been elected president of the Asia-Pacific Regional Conference (APRC) of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for the next two years.
The announcement was made on Friday, the last day of the four-day 36th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference (APRC) in Dhaka. It was also declared that the 37th APRC Conference will be held in Sri Lanka.
The four-day 36th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference (APRC) of the Food and Agriculture Organization, held for the first time in Bangladesh, kicked off at Hotel Intercontinental in Dhaka on Tuesday. The Ministry of Agriculture organized the conference.
On Friday evening, the last day of the four-day conference, Agriculture Minister Dr. Md. Abdur Razzak told reporters that the conference will focus on setting up digital hubs, setting up special funds for research, increasing greenery, climate-tolerant agriculture, building sustainable agri-food systems and equal human, animal and environmental health. Considering the importance and self-reliance of the One Health Approach, 46 member countries of the APRC have adopted the final report.
Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder, Agriculture Secretary Md. Sayedul Islam and Food Secretary Nazmanara Khanum were present on the occasion.
Dr Razzak said the negative effects of climate change have already begun. ‘The impact is greater than we thought. It will affect everything in human life, but agriculture will suffer the most.'
He said Covid has had a negative impact on the region's agriculture, food and economy. Fertilizer production has decreased. The participating countries have expressed their concerns in this regard. The Maldives is in danger of extinction.
The minister said that in this situation, new crop varieties and technologies have to be developed through research to develop a sustainable agri-food system by tackling the adverse effects of climate and Covid. The FAO has a huge role to play here.
The Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina has proposed to set up a 'Special Fund' for research and innovation in agriculture. The Agriculture Minister said that it was included in the final report of the conference.
