Aziz terms food security a big challenge

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Finance Adviser AB Mirza Azizul Islam affirmed prevailing sentiments Monday, saying food security is emerging as a big challenge to Bangladesh.
He said physical loss of land, rising income, growth in population and drop in food exports by producing countries have created a serious challenge to food security for the country.
"We've to consider the issue seriously," Azizul told an international conference on 'Development prospects of Bangladesh: Emerging challenges' at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel Monday, reports UNB.
Bangladesh, which has over 140 million people, is increasingly becoming a food importing country.
According to government statistics, this year's twin floods and the violent cyclone have damaged a total of 1.6 million tonnes of Aman paddy and thrown the country into a critical situation.
On the other hand, prices of food grains on the international market are also rising fast.
"We are facing the challenge now," Azizul told the conference.
The adviser identified the other major challenges to Bangladesh as: poor infrastructure, poor governance, lack of consensus, inadequate adaptation and diffusion of technology, insufficient human resource development and the growing impact of climate change.
Azizul was speaking as the chief guest at the concluding session of the two-day conference, organised by Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies to mark its golden jubilee celebration.
Economist Prof Nurul Islam chaired the conference attended by national and international economists.
Speakers at the comference said poverty reduction, unemployment, rising inequality, poor infrastructure and governance, land reform and lack of democracy are the major challenges facing Bangladesh.
AR Khan, professor (emeritus) at the University of California, asked the government to undertake policies to encourage labour-intensive industries. Infrastructural development is required for overall growth of the economy, he noted.