Bangladesh to host FAO regional conference in 2022

Bangladesh will host the 36th Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC) of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), for the first time since joining the organization in 1973, reports UNB.

The conference is scheduled to be held in 2022, agriculture minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque made teh disclosure on Friday while speaking at a press conference at Hotel Intercontinental in the capital.

Describing the issue as a great pride and honour for the country, Razzaque said the conference in Dhaka will open new doors for exchange of views and mutual cooperation on the achievements, successes, technologies and innovations among the countries of the region.

The 35th conference was organized by Bhutan through video conferencing from 1 to 4 September.

During the conference, Bangladesh placed a proposal to host the next conference that drew direct support from China, India, Bhutan, Iran, Timor-Leste, Thailand, Philippines and Cambodia.

The FAO Regional Conference is a formal forum where agriculture ministers and other senior officials of the member countries meet to discuss challenges and solutions of the food and agriculture sector.

The minister also said Bangladesh has achieved an unimaginable success in agriculture sector and food security in the last 40 years.

Despite natural disasters, population growth, depletion of arable land, climate change and increasing trend of salinity in the southern part,the country is now self-sufficient in granular cereal.

"This achievement is a role model and example for other members of FAO," he added.