Yeafesh Osman, The state minister for science and information and communication technology on Wednesday urged the country’s agronomists to innovate new crops for facing the adverse impact of climate change as well as ensuring food security.
‘The pattern of food production is changing gradually in the country due to climate change. Adverse impact of climate change severely affects agriculture in Bangladesh,’ he said while addressing the inaugural session of an international conference in the Dhaka city.
The Bangladesh Society of Agronomy organised the two-day international conference on ‘Crop Production under Changing Climate in Bangladesh: Agronomic Options’ at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council auditorium.
Chaired by BARC executive chairman Wais Kabir, the conference was also addressed, among others, by FAO Representative in Bangladesh Ad Spijkers, BSA general secretary Rafiqul Islam Mondal and Nur Ahamed Khondaker.
BSA president M Zainul Abedin presented the keynote paper at the inaugural session.
Addressing the inaugural session as chief guest, Yeafesh said as the climate change is affecting the cropping pattern, crop production is decreasing gradually putting the country’s food security at risk.
He asked agronomists and agricultural scientists to perform their professional duties with utmost sincerity for achieving food security of the country.
The conference is mainly focused on four aspects — crop production and rural livelihoods; coping with drought and water management; risk management in crop production associated with rainfall, flood and submergence; and salinity and climate resilient cropping systems for the coastal areas.
About 55 scientific papers related to the conference theme and issues on agronomic options to adapt and mitigate climate change on crop production will be presented and discussed in the technical sessions during the two-day conference.
Around 300 participants from Bangladesh, Japan, India, Netherlands, Pakistan, Sudan and Philippines are attending the conference.
Source: UNB, Dhaka