December 8, 2023
DHAKA – Bangladesh and Argentina have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for bilateral cooperation in the field of agriculture for the first time.
The MoU was signed between the two countries in the Ministry of Agriculture conference room at the Secretariat yesterday, according to a press release.
Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque signed the MoU on behalf of Bangladesh.
The agreement was earlier signed by Argentina’s Minister of Economy Sergio Tomas Massa, and Marcelo Carlos CESA, ambassador of Argentina to Dhaka, was present on his behalf.
Razzaque said: “With the signing of this MoU, we will be able to bring wheat and soybean from Argentina at a better price.”
“They will help improve our agriculture. We will also work together on various international issues, including the climate crisis,” he said, adding Bangladesh would get priority in smart agro-technical cooperation, including import of wheat and soybean.
“I firmly believe that we will get cooperation from Argentina to set up surplus agro-processing industries in the days to come. We will get Argentina’s support in the field of improved crop varieties and bio-technology,” the minister said.
Razzaque said Bangladesh imports soyabean worth about $2 billion. Poultry protein depends on soybeans, he added.
Bangladesh imports wheat, soybeans and various livestock feed from Argentina while the minister opined that mangoes and pineapples could be exported to Argentina, adding that there are also plans to export potato chips.
There are many opportunities between the two countries in terms of cooperation in agriculture, said Ambassador Marcelo Carlos CESA.
The MoU opens up opportunities to work together in those sectors, he said.