Switzerland is interested in investing in the fisheries and livestock sector of Bangladesh's climate risk areas.
Swiss Ambassador to Bangladesh Nathalie Chuard expressed her interest in a courtesy call on Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim at her office in the Secretariat on Wednesday.
At the time, the Fisheries and Livestock Minister said that Bangladesh has very good diplomatic relations with Switzerland. Bangladesh and Switzerland can exchange experiences on any bilateral issue. At the same time, the field of cooperation between the two countries can be further expanded by forming a joint working group.
"Natural resources are very important for our GDP growth and economic development," he said. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has adopted the Delta Plan with Bangladesh's 100-year development plan in mind and has already formed the Delta Governance Council. We are utilizing natural resources for the development of the country, meeting the food and nutrition needs of the people. The various steps taken by the government have brought about unimaginable changes in the agriculture, fisheries and livestock sectors.
Ambassador Nathalie Chuard said that on the 50th anniversary of the two countries' cooperation, Switzerland wants to work on a new cooperation program, including in the field of economic development from 2022 to 2025. One of the most important parts of this is to increase the activities related to the impact of climate change. One of these is financing climate change adaptation and climate change risk reduction activities.
Noting that no other country like Bangladesh has seen a 100-year plan, Nathalie Chuard added that Bangladesh has achieved the milestone of transitioning from a least developed country to a developing country. Switzerland wants to contribute in this case. Switzerland has the opportunity to invest in the livestock sector in Bangladesh's climate-risky char areas. A number of public and private sector organizations in Switzerland are also interested in working in this field.
At the time, the minister said, although Bangladesh is not responsible for climate change, it is one of the most climate-risky countries in the world. The Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina has made a specific proposal to form a fund for the countries affected by climate change at the World Climate Conference. Developed countries should come forward to compensate for climate change. Bangladesh is also a country prone to natural disasters. The country's fisheries and livestock sectors are affected by floods and other natural disasters. The government provides special incentives and other assistance to the victims of climate change and natural disasters.
SM Rezaul Karim added, "Currently we are self-sufficient in meat production." We have additional cattle in demand for Eid-ul-Azha sacrifice. We are working to export meat by meeting the needs of all the people of the country. Many countries in the world want to import meat from us. Our goal is to supply international quality meat according to the demand of all those countries. Therefore, an international standard quality control laboratory has been established in the country.
The Minister further added that Bangladesh is a very favorable and friendly country for foreign investment. The Swiss public and private sectors can easily invest in Bangladesh's agriculture, fisheries and livestock sectors. Investors from Switzerland can invest in the food processing industry, including the dairy industry in Bangladesh. The government will provide all kinds of facilities.