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| :: Dhaka seeks more int'l help to achieve MDGs ~ |
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Bangladesh has called for increased technical and financial support from the international community to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and ensure food security in the developing countries like Bangladesh.
Agriculture Minister MK Anwar made the call at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) General Council meeting at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy yesterday, with FAO Director General Jacques Diouf in the chair.
"It is of utmost importance that international help for agriculture in the developing countries is increased to ensure the achievements of MDGs," he told the 33rd session of the FAO General Council.
He pointed out the need for the increased help from the international community particularly the institutions like FAO, which have been on a declining trend over the years, to support country-level actions to achieve the goals.
"Hunger and food security can only be fought with the combined efforts of all development stakeholders towards the shared goal of food for all," he said, emphasising an integrated approach that addresses causal linkages.
The minister urged the FAO, as a repository of global genetic resources, to protect the rights of farmers of developing countries and ensure benefit-sharing arrangements in the patent process and in other forms of intellectual property rights (IPRs).
"We feel that WTO-TRIPS may also constrain the ability of developing countries in agricultural technology generation and ensuring food security," he added.
Anwar requested the FAO to take an initiative to develop an appropriate system of support to increase agriculture production in Bangladesh and remove supply side constraint.
The agriculture minister said increased crop production in Bangladesh in the past was mainly due to the green revolution while the future increase in crop production would largely depend on the gene revolution.
He added countries which would not be able to make use of the advantage of gene technology would lag behind while countries like Bangladesh has very limited or almost no capability in biotechnology research.
"FAO must play a critical role in helping Bangladesh and other countries in developing necessary infrastructure facilities, prioritising areas of bio-technology research and development of human resources and networking facilities," he said.
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