Participation in the IFPRI-BIMSTEC Workshop on “Shaping a Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Food System in the BIMSTEC Region” (Bangkok, October 2024)

The workshop titled “Shaping a Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Food System in the BIMSTEC Region” was held in the Pullman Hotel in Bangkok on 3-4 October 2024. The event was organised jointly by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a think-tank headquartered in Washington, DC, BIMSTEC Secretariat, and Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS). The workshop focused on the knowledge and insights to provide a platform for stakeholders to bridge the gap between research and policy, ensuring that data-driven insights contribute to more effective agricultural transformation and policies in BIMSTEC countries.

Notable Participants:

The dignitaries and participants of the conference include government representatives and experts from BIMSTEC countries and officials of international organisations. The notable participants were: HE Mrs Wijayanthi Edirisinghe, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Thailand; HE Mr Faiyaz Murshid Kazi, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Thailand; Mr Robert Simpson, Special Advisor to the ADG/RR, Regional Office of the Asia-Pacific, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Thailand; Mr CSR Ram, Joint Secretary (BIMSTEC and SAARC), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India; Dr Anup Wadhawan, Former Commerce Secretary, Government of India and Senior Fellow, Ashoka University, India; Dr Devesh Roy, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI; Prof C Veeramani, Professor and Director, Centre for Development Studies (CDS), India; Mr Suphakit Chareonkul, Executive Director, International Institute for Trade and Development (IITD), Thailand; Prof Jeevika Weerahewa, Senior Professor, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka; Dr Ahmad Ahsan, Director, Policy Research Institute (PRI), Bangladesh; Prof Aparna Sawhney, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), India; Dr Gaurav Arora, Faculty, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand; Dr Prabir De, Professor, RIS; Dr Nisha Taneja, Professor, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER); Dr Mamata Pradhan, Research Coordinator, IFPRI; Ms Dikshya Singh, Programme Coordinator, SAWTEE, Nepal; Dr Mohammad Nahid Sattar, Professor, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Bangladesh; Dr Nisit Panthamit, Director, Centre for ASEAN Studies and Associate Professor, Chiang Mai University, Thailand; Dr Biswash Gauchan, Executive Director, Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS), Nepal; Mr Tun Lynn Aung, Director (Agriculture & Food Security Division), BIMSTEC; and Mr Tenzin Lekphell, Former Secretary General, BIMSTEC.

My Contribution to the Workshop:

I delivered lecture in the panel on “Evolving Dynamics of Agri-Food Trade: Policies, Investment, and Environmental Perspective” in the workshop. I explained how regional integration of BIMSTEC and SAARC frameworks can be leveraged to harmonise agri-food trade policies and promote sustainable investment in the region’s agricultural sector; what key policy shifts are needed to align Bangladesh’s agri-food trade with global environmental standards while ensuring competitiveness in international markets; and how renewable energy solutions can be integrated into the agri-food value chain to enhance both productivity and environmental sustainability, especially in the context of climate challenges faced by countries like Bangladesh. I highlighted on the progress of Bangladesh in food production and revolution in allied sectors, such as inland fishery, vegetables and fruits. The country has a high potential to become a leading source of regional and global supply of agri-food goods. However, it requires support and coordination from BIMSTEC in trade policy coordination, diversification of food production at semi-processing and processing level, introduction of modern technology and establishing cold chain, international investment, and standards harmonisation through establishing an organisation to attain a common standard to meet the standard requirement for both regional and international markets. I also contributed in other working sessions through questions and comments.