Leasing Farmland
Bangladesh signs MoU with Sudan
Bangladesh would lease huge amount of farmlands in South Sudan and Kenya for cultivating rice, wheat, maize and other crops.
“South Sudan has large amount of uncultivated land. We could lease lands equal to one-fourth of Bangladesh,” Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain said yesterday.
He was talking to journalists at a press briefing at Shahjalal International Airport after a weeklong visit to the African nations.
Bangladesh has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with South Sudan on lease of farmlands, Mosharraf Hossain said adding that a similar MoU will be signed with Kenya soon.
The minister said Bangladesh will send a technical team to Sudan in six weeks to finalise the modus operandi of the lease, production and sharing methods, and other related issues.
He held meetings with South Sudan's Agriculture Minister Betty Achan Ogwaro and Foreign Minister Nhial Deng Nhial and Kenyan authorities during his visit to the African countries.
The weather of South Sudan is almost similar to that of Bangladesh. The newly independent country grows food crops that meet around one third of its demand, he said adding that they [South Sudan] signed the MoU only after a day of Bangladesh's proposal.
The minister led a six-member delegation, which comprised of Armed Forces Division Principal Staff Officer Lt Gen Abdul Wadud, Bangladesh's high commissioner to Kenya Wahidur Rahman, Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training's Director General Begum Shamsunnahar, agriculture ministry's Joint Secretary Jamsher Ahmed and foreign ministry Director General (Africa) Allama Siddique.
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