BSS-30 Govt working to make country hunger free: Matia

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ZCZC

BSS-30

POVERTY-REDUCTION-MATIA

Govt working to make country hunger free: Matia

DHAKA, June 6, 2018 (BSS) – Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury
today said the government is working to build a hunger-free country by 2030.

“We are taking various effective steps to achieve SDGs (Sustainable
Development Goals) by 2030,” she told a seminar titled “Agriculture,
Nutrition and Gender Linkages (ANGeL) Results Dissemination” at the Krishibid
Institute, Bangladesh (KIB) here.

Additional Secretary of the Agriculture Ministry Abdul Halim, Country
Representative of IFPRI Dr Akhter Ahmed and representatives of different
government and non-government organizations, among other, addressed the
seminar.

Matia said the government is developing stress-tolerant varieties of crops
to cope with the adverse impacts of climate change. Despite having little
contribution to global carbon emission, Bangladesh is bearing the burden of
excessive carbon emission caused by the industrialised nations, which are
mainly responsible for global warming, a great challenge for the planet, she
added.

Matia laid emphasis on equal access of women to agriculture sector to
increase crop production, which eventually will help address the malnutrition
problem in Bangladesh.

Other speakers said Bangladesh has done remarkably well in coming down
malnutrition rate particularly stunting children in the past couple of years.

At present, stunting rate of under five children is 36, which was above
40 percent few years ago, they said adding that there are challenges for
Bangladesh to address malnutrition problem as the country is facing higher
under nutrition rate compared to different developing states.

There is a close link between nutrition and development, the speakers said
adding the country has to overcome the malnutrition problem through
intensifying its efforts.

BSS/SS/MMR/ARS/1817 hrs