Food minister seeks donors' urgent help in energy, agriculture
Sunday, 8 March 2009
Bangladesh needs urgent technical and financial support from development partners for its emerging agriculture and fragile energy sectors to ensure food security and reduce poverty, said Food and Disaster Management Minister in the capital Saturday, reports BSS.
Minister Dr Abdur Razzak said the country had reduced poverty by 25 per cent in decades, but the price spiral in last two-three years have again pushed back five per cent of poor below poverty line.
"We acknowledge donors' supports since our independence, but its time for them to come forward to help Bangladesh in its two major sectors -- energy and agriculture to cut poverty," the minister said as the chief guest at a seminar on climate change's impact on Bangladesh at the LGED Bhaban in the city.
Noted nature conservationist Prof Ainun Nishat presented the keynote paper in the seminar, organised by Bangladesh Alumni Association of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Chief Representative of JICA Nobuko Suzuki Kayashima and Communications Secretary ASM Ali Kabir spoke on the occasion as the special guest, while Vice President of JICA Alumni Dr Khursheed Jahan chaired it.
Counselor of Japanese Embassy Masami Tamura, General Secretary of JICA Alumni Association Mohammad Ejar Uddin and seminar secretary Dr M Mofazzal Hossain, among others, spoke on the occasion.
Razzak said the higher investment in power sector would contribute to reduce the cost of cereal production, lifting rural poor above the poverty line, a benchmark 45 per cent of 140 million total population still live below it. The minister said studies showed that the electricity run irrigation pumps costs much lesser than the diesel-run pumps.
He said the climate change has certainly posed a threat to millions of coastal people as well as the environment, ecology and resources of Bangladesh, one of the most vulnerable countries to shocks of extreme natural events -- floods, cyclones and droughts.
"We all must keep in mind that we have to live with it," said the minister adding that the developed world responsible for global warming should provide full assistance they committed for the developing world.
They (rich countries) have committed to providing 0.7 per cent of their GDP to help poor countries achieve millennium development goals (MDGs), but they didn't keep their promises, he alleged and said the donor countries should provide both technical and financial assistance for disaster preparedness and climate resilience.
The minister also expressed his dismay over some of the environmentalists, whom he said were misleading people through unreliable data and inflated figures of losses and vulnerability.
Minister Dr Abdur Razzak said the country had reduced poverty by 25 per cent in decades, but the price spiral in last two-three years have again pushed back five per cent of poor below poverty line.
"We acknowledge donors' supports since our independence, but its time for them to come forward to help Bangladesh in its two major sectors -- energy and agriculture to cut poverty," the minister said as the chief guest at a seminar on climate change's impact on Bangladesh at the LGED Bhaban in the city.
Noted nature conservationist Prof Ainun Nishat presented the keynote paper in the seminar, organised by Bangladesh Alumni Association of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Chief Representative of JICA Nobuko Suzuki Kayashima and Communications Secretary ASM Ali Kabir spoke on the occasion as the special guest, while Vice President of JICA Alumni Dr Khursheed Jahan chaired it.
Counselor of Japanese Embassy Masami Tamura, General Secretary of JICA Alumni Association Mohammad Ejar Uddin and seminar secretary Dr M Mofazzal Hossain, among others, spoke on the occasion.
Razzak said the higher investment in power sector would contribute to reduce the cost of cereal production, lifting rural poor above the poverty line, a benchmark 45 per cent of 140 million total population still live below it. The minister said studies showed that the electricity run irrigation pumps costs much lesser than the diesel-run pumps.
He said the climate change has certainly posed a threat to millions of coastal people as well as the environment, ecology and resources of Bangladesh, one of the most vulnerable countries to shocks of extreme natural events -- floods, cyclones and droughts.
"We all must keep in mind that we have to live with it," said the minister adding that the developed world responsible for global warming should provide full assistance they committed for the developing world.
They (rich countries) have committed to providing 0.7 per cent of their GDP to help poor countries achieve millennium development goals (MDGs), but they didn't keep their promises, he alleged and said the donor countries should provide both technical and financial assistance for disaster preparedness and climate resilience.
The minister also expressed his dismay over some of the environmentalists, whom he said were misleading people through unreliable data and inflated figures of losses and vulnerability.