Dhaka 04 February 2008: Today Media Foundation for Trade and Development and Equity and Justice Working Group (EJWG) jointly organized a national seminar on "Food Security in Bangladesh: Import Dependency Vs. Attaining Food Self Sufficiency’ at the national press club in Dhaka.
Adviser of the agriculture ministry of the Care Taker Government of Bangladesh Mr. Chowdury Sazzadul Karim, head of FAO representation in Bangladesh Mr Ad Spijkers took part in this national seminar respectively as the chief guest and special guest. Among others, country renowned agricultural economist Mr. Abdus Sattar Mandal, Dr. Atiur Rahman, Dr Mahbub Hossain B.A.R.C Chairman Dr M. A Razzak, IRRI representative in Bangladesh Mr. Ziaul Abedin, Director SAARC Agricultural Research Council Mr. Wais Karim, former ambassador Mr Waliur Rahman and Awami League’s ex-parliamentarian K.M Jahangir participated in the national dialogue and discussed on the possible ways of ensuring country’s food security.
Md Shamsuddoha, General Secretary-Equity and Justice Working Group presented the key note paper while Mr. Faruque Ahmed, President, Media Foundation for Trade and Development moderated the seminar.
In his key-note paper Mr. Shamsuddoha said the concept of ‘food security’ is about of ensuring food availability either through import liberalization or raising domestic production. In this regard it is very important to raise domestic production by protecting country’s agriculture sector from cheap and subsidized agricultural commodities, especially from the Northern counties ( e.g; USA, EU ) and Advanced Developed Countries (e.g; India, China). But irony is that country has not been able to give necessary concern for increasing its production due to pressure through conditinalities from the IFIs. Now we are facing supply side crisis of food grains in the international market due to subsequent crop loss globally and shifting demand side paradigm for bio-fuel production. He, added, in this circumstances we have to increase our domestic production by may means which demanded strong political comitement.
Dr. Mahbub Hossain said, country needs a technological breakthrough for further boosting-up of production level as the existing technology is no more adequate. Atiur Rahman said we all are agreed for increasing our production and also agreed in adopting productive technologies; we also have to assess the social and environment impact of technology implication. Dr. Rahman also gave emphasis for minimizing immediate food insecurity that country might face in the early April. In this year he also prposed for food rationing to the garments worker who are the country’s most vulnerable workforce.
Dr. Chowdhuty Sazzadul Karim said, we should not depend any more on food import. Now our food demand is around 30 million tones and we are producing around 27 million tones. We must adopt new technologies for increasing domestic production capacities otherwise our future generation will fall in food crisis.
Please download the press release(Bangali) , position paper (English) ,Presentation (English), Media Coverage and photos, You will be able to see all those in www.equitybd.org.
