The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Speakers at meeting yesterday called upon the SAARC countries to strengthen their mutual cooperation for increasing food production and ensuring food security in the region.

They were speaking at the inaugural session of the three-daylong SAARC Agriculture Centre's Governing Board Meeting at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) Conference Room.

Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture M Abdul Aziz was present as a chief guest at the inaugural session of the meeting which was prencipel M. Dr PK Joshi, Chairman of the Governing Board of SAARC Agriculture Centre' presided over the session. Members of the SAARC Agriculture Centre's Governing Board from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan and host Bangladesh were present in the meeting.

M Abdul Aziz said that a total of 23.7 per cent of the world population is living in the SAARC region.

"The SAARC region has been facing food security crisis despite it its huge potentiality of food sovereignty," he said.

He further said that the SAARC countries should formulate a framework of cooperation in the agriculture sector.

The SAARC countries should exchange information and technology for increasing food production, he suggested.

Dr PK Joshi said that the SAARC countries have been facing serious scarcity of food due to over emphasis on bio-fuel. produce, water logging and salinity in the region. "We have best climate, soil and rain-fall to produce best crops in the region. But, the food production is not increasing remarkably in the reason due to lack of policy," he said adding, "The role of partnership is important to increase food production in SAARC countries."