FAO supports Bangladesh in crop sector’s investment

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) organised a validation workshop on the “Priority Investment Plan-Crop Sector” (PIP-CS:2024-2030) where key areas for potential investment in the crop sector were presented.

The workshop brought together multiple stakeholders including private sector, development partners, government, researcher, academia and civil society organisations.

Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture Wahida Akter participated in the event as the chief guest and FAO Representative in Bangladesh Jiaoqun Shi was the guest of honour.

The event was hosted by Dr Shaikh Mohammad Bokhtiar, executive chairman of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC).

FAO is providing technical support to the Government of Bangladesh in developing the Priority Investment Plan in the Crop Sector (PIP-CS) to identify potential investment areas and providing a platform under its Hand-in-Hand Initiative to bring together stakeholders to mobilise funding for an economically diversified and sustainable agriculture.

The PIP-CS was drafted in collaboration with a technical team set up by the Ministry of Agriculture comprising experts from relevant ministries, agencies, academia, and the private sector.

Wahida Akter said, “We work together with FAO towards transforming the crop sector in Bangladesh to achieve the national development goals in implementation of the National Agricultural Policy.”

Jiaoqun Shi, FAO representative in Bangladesh, said “FAO is happy to support the preparation of the Priority Investment Plan for the crop sector, providing technical assistance under FAO’s flagship Hand-in-Hand Initiative.”

In preparation of this validation workshop, about 700 local stakeholders from the private sector, civil society, researcher, non-state actor and academia participated in regional consultations conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with FAO in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Barisal, Cumilla, Jashore, and Mymensingh in July and September 2022.