Dhaka and Gazipur, Bangladesh – At the end of a five-day visit to Bangladesh and following the close of APRC36, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu visited a thriving commercial fish pond, a bio-secure model poultry farm, and two of the country’s leading centres for agricultural research and innovation.

Minister for Agriculture Mohammad Abdur Razzaque MP, accompanied the FAO delegation, along with senior government officials. The FAO delegation consisted of Assistant Director-General for Asia and the Pacific, Jong-Jin Kim, Chief Economist Maximo Torero, Robert D. Simpson, the FAO Representative in Bangladesh, and other headquarters-based colleagues and members of the #APRC36 Secretariat.

The first stop was a fish farm. FAO has been supporting the Department of Fisheries, Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, and the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, for many years by providing technical assistance for the development of modern aquaculture, fisheries management, and climate resilient technologies. The Director-General recommended to Muhammad Faisal Sikder, 38, the owner of the fish farm, to open a restaurant so that local people could taste fresh carp. Muhammad was previously a poultry farmer, but moved into fish farming because it was more lucrative. He now earns around USD 47 000 in profit each year and he encourages more young entrepreneurs to become fish farmers.

“I feel that I have come home,” the Director-General said. “I was so delighted to see a traditional village.” He then said that he wanted to include the village as part of FAO’s 1000 Digital Villages Initiative. FAO has worked with Bangladesh to identify more than 50 digital villages.

Checking the chickens

The next stop was a ‘model’ poultry farm, one of many in the country that are helping to reduce the spread of avian influenza, which continues to be a constant threat to all poultry farms in Asia. Avian influenza can devastate the livelihoods of smallholders as an outbreak requires the culling of their entire flock.

The Director-General also visited a community-based initiative that trains farmers and veterinarians to reduce the use of antimicrobials. Overuse is contributing to a reduction in antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Both the bio-security and antimicrobial projects are supported by FAO’s Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Disease (ECTAD). The Director-General exchanged views with a group of female backyard poultry farmers to better understand the disease challenges they are facing and how they are helping to tackle AMR.

After a traditional lunch prepared by villagers, the delegation headed to two of Bangladesh’s leading centres for agricultural science – the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI). At both, the Director-General toured exhibitions of various stalls that showcased innovations, including pest management, irrigation and water management, and biotechnology.

Joined by the directors of both institutes, and several eminent scientists, the Director-General gave a short speech outside the BRRI central laboratory.  “Rice is the backbone of your food security,” QU said. “Rice is not only food, rice is civilization.”

The Director-General commended both institutes for their commitment to science and research. “Science is our future,” he said.  Before leaving, he also visited nearby rice paddies that are trialing various new rice, vegetable and fruits varieties.