TBT DESK: The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) signed two projects with the government of Bangladesh on 12 and 13 March at the Economic Relations Division (ERD).
The projects are "Technical Support to Sustainable and Resilient Investment towards Agriculture Sector Transformation Programme of Bangladesh" and "Emergency response to control and manage Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and African Swine Fever (ASF) in Bangladesh."
Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky, secretary, of the Economic Relations Division (ERD), Ministry of Finance, and Jiaoqun Shi, FAO Representative in Bangladesh were present at both signing events. FAO has been working with Bangladesh, implementing over 380 technical assistance projects with a combined budget of $ 420 million since 1973. These projects span crops, fisheries, livestock, nutrition, food safety, One Health, urban food systems, agricultural transformation and digitalization, emergency response, climate resilience and forestry, said the FAO on Thursday.
All the FAO projects are in line with the national planning documents, strategies and priorities of the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.
Siddiky said as the country is opting for an agricultural transformation, Bangladesh is now embracing sustainable farming practices, enabling farmers to adapt to shifting environmental conditions while safeguarding food security and protecting natural resources.
"New investments in the agricultural sector will enable us more to work towards our common goal- a sustainable agri-food system for Bangladesh.''
Jiaoqun Shi said the strong collaboration between FAO and the government of Bangladesh will help them accelerate progress towards food security, nutrition, and sustainable agricultural development in Bangladesh.
This initiative will provide valuable evidence for future FMD control efforts using risk-based vaccination strategies and serve as a framework for subsequent ASF control measures which will ultimately support sustainable livestock productivity and safeguard farmers' livelihoods in Bangladesh.