Govt initiates $800m climate smart agri projects

FT ONLINE

The government has initiated two climate-smart projects involving $800 million in collaboration with the World Bank to address the impacts of climate change on farming the country.

The projects, Climate Smart Agriculture Investment Plan (CSAIP) and Livestock and Dairy Development Project (LDDP), were launched at a ceremony the Krishibid Institution of Bangladesh in the city on Wednesday.

Agriculture Minister Dr. Muhammad Abdur Razzaque and State Minister For Fisheries And Livestock Md Ashraf Ali Khan Khasru were present at the programme, organised jointly by the WB, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.

In his address, the agriculture minister said that climate change and sea-level rise pose serious threats to Bangladesh’s impressive growth in agricultural productivity.

"The government initiated the CSAIP and LDDP projects with the financial support of the World Bank to address impacts of climate change on agriculture as well as to prioritize investments to improve productivity, resilience and mitigation in the agriculture sector," the minister said.

Fisheries and Livestock Secretary Raisul Islam Mondal presided over the launching ceremony.

WB's South Asia Director for Sustainable Development John Roome and WB's Acting Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan Dandan Chen, addressed the programme, among others.

Executive Director of Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies Dr. Atiq Rahma,n chief technical coordinator of the LDDP project Dr. Md Golam Rabbani presented keynotes.