Sunday, April 20, 2008

Experts: SAARC food bank should be established to face climate change

April 12 (Xinhua) -- Agriculture experts at a seminar here Saturday underlined the need for establishing a common food bank for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries to face adverse impact of climate change on food production.

They also suggested carrying out more researches to invent more saline, drought and flood tolerant crop varieties and improving early disaster warning system, official news agency BSS reported. SAARC Agriculture Center organized the seminar titled 'Climate Change and Its Impact on Agricultural Production System in SAARC Region'.
Bangladeshi Agriculture Secretary Abdul Aziz said work of creating SAARC food bank has already been started as per the decision of the last SAARC summit in New Delhi. Aziz underlined the need for establishing an adaptation center and creating an adaptation fund for mitigating the adverse effects of climate change.

"Climate change is not a problem of only Bangladesh, it's a global problem and the South Asia will face its worst adverse effects," he said, adding that "only Bangladesh could not adapt with the climate change without regional cooperation as the flood depends on flows of trans-boundary rivers." Aziz said share of weather information among the SAARC member countries need to be ensured and a common center of early warning system for the agriculture sector need to be set up. More >>>

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-04/12/content_7966433.htm