Caretaker government advisers, former agriculture ministers and economists said Bangladesh would never be able to get rid of "food crisis" if it continues to neglect the agriculture sector in the name of industrialisation, reports UNB.

Addressing a roundtable, they said without proper management of the agriculture sector and its modernisation, Bangladesh is unlikely to be able to ensure adequate food supply for the country''s people of which 40 percent are still living under the poverty line.

"We must understand that nobody is going to help us tackle the food crisis. We''ll have to find out a solution to our problem. And return to the agro-based economy is the only way-out," Agriculture Adviser Dr CS Karim told the roundtable.

The roundtable titled ''Food Security and Modernisation of Agriculture'' was arranged by Weekly 2000 and Brac at Brac Inn Centre here in the morning.

Moderated by Brac executive director Dr Mahbub Hossain, the roundtable was attended, among others, by Commerce Adviser Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, former Agriculture Ministers Matia Chowdhury and MK Anwar.

Dr CS Karim laid emphasis on public-private partnership for the modernisation of agriculture in Bangladesh. He said from now on the country''s universities, government and non-government institutions must increase research works aiming to give a further boost to farm output.

The adviser appreciated the past governments for development of infrastructures in the agriculture sectors, but voiced concern over the rapid shrinking of croplands in the country and called for measures to check it.

Commerce Adviser Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman said the agriculture has to be retaken in the focal point of the country''s economy. "We''ve been neglecting the agriculture since the 80s although it''s the backbone of our economy. Such negligence must be stopped right now," he said.

Former Agriculture Minister MK Anwar said the present food crisis is nothing but the consequence of a severe negligence of the agriculture sector.

Another former Agriculture Minister, Matia Chowdhury, also called upon for all-out efforts for bringing back dynamism into the agricultural sector. He blamed the present government''s lack of farsightedness for the present food crisis.

"The government attributes the present food crisis to the last floods and Sidr. We had also faced a prolonged flood in 1998, but there was no food crisis," Matia said.

She said the present government has lack of practical knowledge about Bangladesh''s agriculture and its management. Economist Dr Mahbub Hossain said it seems that the price of rice on the global market is not going to come down in the next few years. "So, boosting our domestic agricultural production is the only way-out of the food crisis," he added.

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