Newsnext Desk
Dhaka – The United Nations agency for agriculture development has assured continuous support for Bangladesh in reforming the rural economy of the agrarian South Asian nation.
The newly appointed Country Director the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Dhaka Valantine Achancho made the assurance while meeting Foreign Affairs adviser Touhid Hossain at the Foreign Ministry, an IFAD press release said on Saturday.
The meeting took place on Wednesday.
The UN agency remained deeply committed to improving the lives and livelihoods of rural communities by boosting agricultural productivity, increasing rural incomes, and empowering smallholders and farmers, women, and youth, the IFAD official said.
"Bangladesh has incredible potential when it comes to agriculture and transforming rural communities. I am excited to collaborate with the government, our partners, and local communities to strengthen agricultural systems and improve lives across the country," he was quotes as saying.
"We can create sustainable growth and give smallholder farmers the support they need to overcome challenges and thrive," he added.
Achancho served as IFAD Country Director and Representative for the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo from 2020 to 2024 before he joined his new assignment in Dhaka.
He has previously held the same position for Niger, Burkina Faso, and Chad.
Achancho will be advocating for and enhancing national government programmes that strengthen climate resilience in vulnerable rural communities through infrastructure and climate-smart agriculture, while enhancing access to finance, technology, and markets for smallholders and marginalized groups to diversify the economy and create rural jobs in Bangladesh.
IFAD's programme in Bangladesh is one of its largest nowadays, the press statement said. Currently, IFAD has investment of 519 million dollars in Bangladesh, distributed across six ongoing projects implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Local Government Engineering Department, Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation, and the Bangladesh Water Development Board, it added.
