Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque has said that cooperation between Bangladesh and Canada in the field of agriculture will be further strengthened with the establishment of the regional office of the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) in Dhaka.
“The establishment of this office will establish research collaboration between agricultural research institutes of Bangladesh and Canada and will help the agricultural researchers of Bangladesh to acquire advanced knowledge and skills in tackling the challenges posed in agriculture including climate change,” he said.
Dr Abdur Razzaque made the statement while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the GIFS office at Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) in Dhaka on Sunday morning.
The regional office of the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) of the University of Saskatchewan of Canada has been opened at the premises of BARC at Farmgate in Dhaka.
The Agriculture Minister said that the Saskatchewan region has a worldwide reputation for producing versatile and quality agro-food.
“As a result of opening their office in Dhaka, their technology and experience can be utilized in our country,” he added.
He further said that during the tenure of the present government, unimaginable success has been achieved in agricultural production in the country but there are many challenges in the future to sustain and increase the growth of agricultural production.
“The GIFS regional office will play an important role in addressing these challenges and making food security sustainable,” he said.
David Merritt, Agriculture Minister of the Saskatchewan provincial government in Canada, also spoke during this time, joining the event virtually.
He said, “The establishment of this office would further enhance cooperation between the two countries in the field of agriculture. We need to work together to meet the food needs of a growing population and make food security sustainable. The two countries will work together to achieve this goal.”
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During the inauguration ceremony, an agreement was signed between GIFS-Canada and BARC. It was signed by the Executive Chairman of BARC Dr Sheikh Mohammad Bakhtiyar and GIFS Chief Operating Officer Stephen Visher.
Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Md Mesbahul Islam, Canadian Ambassador to Dhaka Benoit Prefontaine, Bangladesh Ambassador to Canada Dr Khalilur Rahman, Bangabandhu Research Chair at GIFS Andrew Sharp, Baljit Singh, Vice-president (research) at the University of Saskatchewan and Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Md Ruhul Amin Talukder also spoke during this time.