Bangladesh Global Summit 2016 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia masterminded by the All European Bangladesh Association (AEBA) is going be a unique event for building a lasting bridge between Bangladeshis living in the Diaspora.
It will also tune & energize Non Resident Bangladeshis (NRB) and Persons of Bangladeshi Origin (PBO) from six continents in making more investments in Bangladesh.
During its two-day Convention (November 19th & 20th 2016), Kuala Lumpur Summit will facilitate B2B business sessions with Bangladesh & Diaspora based Bangladeshi businessmen and investors with Malaysian counterparts.
This writer in several installments will try to deal with the areas identified below where integrated initiatives of NRB and PBO communities and channelized contributions can supplement and compliment national endeavors in achieving vision of achieving developed country status by 2041
Bangladesh has national vision of achieving developed country status by 2040. With this end in view present government has initiated multifaceted development initiatives for maintaining the very impressive GDP growth rate of 6% plus and gearing it up much higher. The challenges are emerging and government has contingency planning for addressing all issues and challenges with its own resources and generous support of friendly nations.
One of the elements of Bangladesh economy getting impetus from is the inflow of substantial remittance that NRBs and PBOs are sending. Government is in the process of channelizing the NRB capital and resources to right directions through various initiatives. Application of modern technology in agriculture can be one of the key areas where channelized NRB and PBO contributions can make significant impacts.
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries of the world. It is also predominantly agricultural country and economy is also primarily agro based. Being lower riparian country Agriculture is heavily depended on river waters flowing from upper riparian country India and Nepal. For various reasons rivers are increasing losing their puberty. Desertification and salinity are increasing creating new challenges for agriculture.
Desertification in northern Bangladesh and increasing of salinity in the Southern region requires adoption of modern technology for draught accommodating and salinity resistant crop diversifications. The increasing population needs sustainable food security .Use of chemical fertilizer and better management of farm inputs (better seeds, better supply of diesel, electricity for irrigation, modern farming) supplementing the innovative endeavors of farming community have led to bumper crops over the last few years. Bangladesh is no longer a food deficit country. Every citizen has at least two square meals and there is no hunger.
Yet lot needs to be done to make our food security sustainable. Bangladesh needs to keep pace with new innovations and applications of international best practices in agriculture as in future more and more new challenges will come, food habits will change with economic development, and weather pattern will change as well.
The population of Bangladesh is now over 160 million. It is not growing at the rate which it was growing a few decades back but nevertheless the growing population needs to be fed and fed well. With economic development food habits may also change, Bangladesh must concentrate on the following
• Increase farmer profitability, productivity and efficiency
• Improve farmer, animal, and consumer livelihood with better work environment, food safety, and food security
• Protected limited farm land and resources
Bangladesh must aim to achieve above for long term sustainability through Irrigation of plants. In dry areas where water supply is getting scarce, farmers have embraced technology to irrigate their crops. Most of these farmers growing rice need a lot of water, so they manage to grow this rice using irrigation methods enhanced by advanced technology. Advanced water sprinklers are being used to irrigate big farms and this helps the crops get enough water which is essential in their growth. Some farmers mix nutrients in this water, so also improves on the growth of these crops
Cooling facilities: These are used buy farmers to deliver tomatoes and other perishable crops to keep them fresh as they transport them to the market. These cooling facilities are installed in food transportation trucks, so crops like tomatoes will stay fresh upon delivery
Modern transportation: This helps in making products available on markets in time from the farm. Modern transportation technology facilities help farmers easily transport fertilizers or other farm products to their farms, and it also speeds the supply of agricultural products from farms to the markets where consumers get them on a daily basis
Telemarketing of Agricultural Products: This will establish direct links of farmers, even marginal farmers with super markets in urban areas . Fair prices will be ensured and the activities of market syndicates can be curbed. Bangladesh now has IT penetration to union level. But still farming community often suffers from poor pricing of their produce though end users in cities buy the same produce at much higher price.
Breeding of animals which are resistant to diseases: Most of these genetically produced animals will produce more milk or fur compared to normal animals. This benefits the farmer because their production will be high. Cross breeding is very good in animal grazing; cross breed animals are more strong and productive.
Many NRB and PBO agriculture scientists and agro economists are doing commendable works in respective fields even in developing countries. They have extensive exposure to international best practices in modern agriculture and framing.
AEBA can coordinate effectively with Bangladesh diplomatic missions in different countries in locating these NRB and PBO resources and make their services available for Bangladesh in advisory capacity as and when required. Moreover, NRBs can set us model farms in some villages.
We expect that all these matters will be extensively discussed in the upcoming Bangladesh Global summit in Kuala Lumpur.
BDST: 0855 HRS, June 14, 2016
AKA
