Staff Correspondent

The Asian Development Bank has promised help to resolve the ongoing food crisis in Bangladesh, an adviser said Monday.

The assurance came at a meeting of Kunio Senga, ADB director general for South Asia, with finance and planning adviser AB Mirza Azizul Islam at the planning ministry Monday.

After the meeting, Senga said ADB was closely observing the food crisis in Bangladesh and would lend a hand to tackle the crisis if the government wanted. Mirza Aziz said he had discussed the food crunch with the ADB director general.

"ADB wants to help us resolve this crisis. They can help Bangladesh in two ways—one is budget financing and the other is the direct supply of food."

But ADB generally does not provide a country with direct supply of food, the adviser added. Senga said ADB would increase its assistance to Bangladesh in future.

The lending agency gave Bangladesh $1 billion in different sectors in 2007, Senga said.

He stressed food supply to the poor people at low prices as they suffered from the food crisis most because of an escalating hike in the prices of daily essentials.

Mirza Aziz said the ADB would provide funds in assistance to make up for the loss caused by floods and Cyclone Sidr.

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