Food threats add urgency to regional efforts: Aziz
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
Global price hikes and climate change add urgency to effective regional cooperation to meet threats to food security, said Finance Adviser AB Mirza Azizul Islam at a BIMSTEC officials' meeting Tuesday, reports bdnews24.com.
Global price hikes of food, fuel and fertiliser are hurting the world's poor most, the adviser said, addressing the meeting of senior officials in the city ahead of the ministerial conference on poverty alleviation. Their minimum food requirement is under serious threat, as they have no savings to fall back on, he said.
"The global scenario that has emerged in recent times has become highly unfavourable for the poor. The dramatic increases in the prices of food, fuel and fertiliser have given rise to inflation which hurts the poor most," the adviser said.
"They are net purchasers of food. Their capacity to meet minimal food requirements is severely constrained, as they have hardly any savings to draw on."
Mirza Aziz said climate change is also posing a threat to food security. "The sheer availability of food is under strain, in part, because of the impact of climate change to which the BIMSTEC member countries have contributed little."
The adviser said the global price hikes and climate change add urgency to effective regional cooperation to meet the threat to food security.
"We at the senior officials' meeting will finalise the agenda for the ministerial conference Wednesday. We will discuss about climate change, health, education, small and medium enterprises, food security and other issues," Jafar Ahmed Chowdhury, secretary to the ministry of planning and president of the meeting, said.
Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed will inaugurate the ministerial conference today (Wednesday). Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand are the members of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), established in 1997 in Bangkok.
Global price hikes of food, fuel and fertiliser are hurting the world's poor most, the adviser said, addressing the meeting of senior officials in the city ahead of the ministerial conference on poverty alleviation. Their minimum food requirement is under serious threat, as they have no savings to fall back on, he said.
"The global scenario that has emerged in recent times has become highly unfavourable for the poor. The dramatic increases in the prices of food, fuel and fertiliser have given rise to inflation which hurts the poor most," the adviser said.
"They are net purchasers of food. Their capacity to meet minimal food requirements is severely constrained, as they have hardly any savings to draw on."
Mirza Aziz said climate change is also posing a threat to food security. "The sheer availability of food is under strain, in part, because of the impact of climate change to which the BIMSTEC member countries have contributed little."
The adviser said the global price hikes and climate change add urgency to effective regional cooperation to meet the threat to food security.
"We at the senior officials' meeting will finalise the agenda for the ministerial conference Wednesday. We will discuss about climate change, health, education, small and medium enterprises, food security and other issues," Jafar Ahmed Chowdhury, secretary to the ministry of planning and president of the meeting, said.
Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed will inaugurate the ministerial conference today (Wednesday). Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand are the members of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), established in 1997 in Bangkok.