Bangladesh considering sending potatoes to Sri Lanka during the crisis
Bangladesh is considering sending potatoes to Sri Lanka during the ongoing crisis.
The assurance was given by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during a meeting with the Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Esala Ruwan Weerakoon.
According to the Dhaka Tribune, Weerakoon paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister of Bangladesh at Ganabhaban.
Weerakoon said the pandemic is responsible for the ongoing economic crisis in his country and appreciated the support Bangladesh has extended towards the island nation.
Sri Lanka now needs fertilizer as the rice production dropped by 50% there, he added.
In this context, the premier said Bangladesh, despite being a country with a huge population, may provide potatoes to Sri Lanka during this crisis.
She said Bangladesh has taken steps to grow more foods amid the global food problem following the Covid-19 pandemic and Ukraine-Russia war.
Bangladeshi researchers are making efforts to develop different saline and drought-tolerant varieties of rice, said Sheikh Hasina.
Earlier, the Saarc official visited the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum and commended the great leader’s legacy.
Ambassador-at-large Mohammad Ziauddin and PMO Senior Secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah were present. (Colombo Gazette)