FE Report

Bangladesh needs a major breakthrough in achieving increased agricultural output especially rice in order to ensure the country's future food security.

Blending of advanced technologies at the farmers' level can pave the way for achieving that goal.

The observations came Monday at a roundtable on "Food security: Import dependency vs. Attaining food self sufficiency", organised jointly by the Media Foundation for Trade and Development (MFTD) and Equity and Justice Working Group (EJWG).

Speakers at the roundtable also observed that the government should take urgent steps for importing adequate quantity of foodgrains to cope with the country's food shortage.

Agriculture Adviser C S Karim addressed the roundtable as the chief guest while the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Representative in Bangladesh Ad Spigkers was present there as a special guest with the MFTD President Faruq Ahmed in the chair.

Awami League leader K M Jahangir, BRAC Executive Director Mahabub Hossain, prominent economist Atiur Rahman, Professor of Agricultural University Abdur Sattar Mandol, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) Chairman Abdur Razzaqe Mondal, former ambassador Waliur Rahman, Managing Director of Syngenta Bangladesh Limited Sarwar Ahmed, IRRI Representative for Bangladesh M Zainul Abedin and DCCI director A H M Shahidul Haq also spoke on the occasion.