Donors should align aid policy with strategies of developing countries

Says food minister

21 May 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

Bangladesh wants the development partners to align their aid policies with the strategies of developing countries to ensure food security amid price volatilities and shocks they face today. "Now it is the development partners' turn to align their aid policy to recipient country strategies and enhance coordination in order to achieve development results," Food Minister Abdur Razzaque said yesterday. The call came at a symposium on 'Global Agriculture and Food Security' organised by the US Department of Agriculture and World Food Programme in Washington as part of the global initiative to frame long-term policies to face the challenges of food security through political, economic and technical cooperation. Addressing the programme, Food and Disaster Management Minister Razzaque said from the recent global food crisis, Bangladesh learnt that increasing domestic food production and international cooperation is essential for facing emergencies. Though Bangladesh's poverty rate has declined from 56.6 percent in 1991-92 to 37 percent in 2009, the number of poor and income inequalities are increasing, he said, adding that Bangladesh government has increased allocation to safety nets to 2.8 percent of GDP. "But the social safety nets cover only 52 percent of the extreme poor," Razzaque said, adding that considering the government's enormous pressure on budget, the country needs development partners' support to increase the coverage. He also said limited investment and overseas development assistance to agriculture over the years has resulted in persistent challenges like poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition. Considering the needs for increased incentives to the farmers, more safety nets and government's capacity to respond to disasters, the government wants to increase food stock capacity from present 1.5 million tonnes to 2.2 million tonnes in 3 to 5 years and to 3 million tonnes by 2020, the minister said. "For this, the government needs development partners' continued support in the years to come," Razzaque said. The leaders of the G-8 grouping last year pledged to create a 20 billion dollar fund for food security of the developing countries. US President Barrack Obama pledged 100 million dollars, and Bangladesh will be given a good amount of it, food ministry officials said. The US Agency for International Development Administrator Dr Rajiv Shah, leaders from African Union, Liberia, and development partners attended the symposium.