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Bangladesh 3rd largest food importer: FAO
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24 Dec 2023, 16:38
Bangladesh has ranked third among food importing countries for importing around 12.5 million tonnes of food products from the global market in 2021, according to the latest report of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
In the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)'s recently published World Food and Agriculture Annual Statistical Booklet 2023, Bangladesh produced around 93.3 million tonnes of agricultural produce in 2021.
China ranks first in food imports, while the Philippines comes up second.
In the same year, the country imported around 12.5 million tons of food products from the global market. The highest food import expenditure is still made on wheat, edible oil, and milk powder.
Indicating that the cost of import-dependent food products in Bangladesh is high, FAO mentioned that the per capita consumption of edible oil, meat, milk, and such nutritious food is the lowest.
However, the per capita consumption of food produced in the country, like rice, vegetables, fish, and fruit is good. In this category, the people of Bangladesh are ahead in calorie consumption, the report said.
Commenting on the data, Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque told the media: "We have taken the initiative to increase the production of import-dependent food products. Production of edible oil, onions, and lentils is increasing as a result of innovating new varieties and providing incentives to the farmers. We hope these agricultural products will curb Bangladesh's dependence on imported agricultural products."
The FAO report, however, highlighted that Bangladesh has fallen behind in food exports.
The top five countries in food exports are, in order, the US, UK, Germany, China and France. Bangladesh is near the bottom.
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Train Schedule Disruption Persists
Although the derailed Panchagarh Express coach has been recovered, the situation remains unmanageable due to damage to the signaling system. As a result, each train is departing three to three and a half hours late.
On Saturday (October 26), not only the journey was delayed, but the railway authorities also canceled the journey of the inter-city Jayantika Express on the Dhaka-Sylhet route and the Agnibina Express on the Dhaka-Tarakandi route.
Meanwhile, passengers returning to Dhaka after a long time are also expressing their anger, blaming the authorities for the prolonged situation.
Railway authorities said that efforts are underway to normalize the schedule. They say the train is still running with the manual signal. Work is underway to fix the signal issue.
Although the carriage of the derailed Panchagarh Express has been recovered, the situation is still beyond control due to the damage to the signal system.
Meanwhile, the railway authorities have formed an inquiry committee into the derailment of the coach. Action will be taken subject to the report of the committee.
It is to be noted that the Panchagarh Express train met with an accident at the Kamalapur railway station area on Thursday (October 24). In this, 3 coaches of the train fell off the line. However, no one was injured.
6 Killed as Truck, CNG Collide in Narsingdi
Six people were killed in a head-on collision between a truck and a CNG-run auto-rickshaw at Shibpur in Narsingdi this afternoon.
The accident took place on the Itakhola-Monohardi road in the Pacharbari area of Shibpur on Saturday (October 26) afternoon.
The victims were not immediately identified.
Shibpur Police Station's Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Afzal Hossain confirmed this.
According to the police, and locals, a CNG carrying passengers from Itakhola was going to Manohardi on Saturday afternoon. When the autorickshaw reached a place called Pacharbari, it collided with a truck going to Itakhola. The CNG was completely twisted. Six people, including the autorickshaw driver and passenger, died on the spot. After receiving the information, the fire service and the police are conducting a rescue operation.
He said that all the victims were passengers of the autorickshaw. Among them, there is a woman. We are currently working to recover the bodies and their identities.
Ex-DMP Commissioner Detained at Airport While Leaving Country
Retired Additional IGP and former Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Khandaker Golam Faruk was detained at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport while leaving the country for Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed an application against him for corruption of Tk3,000cr.
A source in charge of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport confirmed that he was detained around 3 am on Sunday (October 27).
It is known that Golam Faruk was going to Bangkok on Thai Airways flight TG-340 for a personal visit. However, he was interrogated by immigration officials after going to the airport's exit immigration counter.
After that, he was not allowed to board the plane. Golam Faruk is currently with the Immigration Police. It has not yet been decided whether he will be handed over to the police or he will return home.
Golam Faruk joined Bangladesh Police as Assistant Superintendent of Police in the 12th BCS (Police) cadre in 1991. On October 29, 2022, he assumed responsibility as the 35th Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
After a long career of 32 years and 8 months, he retired on September 30, 2023. This retired police officer is reported to have a US green card.
Ex-Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain Arrested
Former Minister of Housing and Public Works and former Member of Parliament of Chattogram-1 Constituency Engineer Mosharraf Hossain has been arrested by the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
He was arrested from the capital's Bashundhara residential area on Sunday (October 27)
Muhammad Talebur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner (media and public relations) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), and DB Additional Commissioner (Media and Public Relations) Rezaul Karim Mallik confirmed the matter.
Talebur Rahman said that Mosharraf, the former Awami League lawmaker from Chattogram-1, was accused in a murder case filed at Paltan Police Station.
Engineer Mosharraf Hossain won the 1st, 3rd, 7th, 9th, 10th, and 11th parliamentary elections as an Awami League candidate from Chattogram-1 Constituency.
He was also the Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism in the period from 1997 to 2001, before taking charge of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works in the 10th National Parliament.
HSC, Equivalent 2024 Re-evaluation Result Date
The results of HSC and equivalent re-scrutiny 2024 will be published on November 14, said Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee Chairman Professor Tapan Kumar Sarkar.
He revealed this information to the media on Sunday (October 27).
Professor Tapan Kumar Sarkar said that the results of the re-evaluation are usually published within one month of the publication of the main results of HSC and equivalent examinations. As a result, on November 14, all the education boards will publish the results of the re-scrutiny of the HSC and equivalent examination.
Officials related to the examination of the Dhaka Board said that the board has not yet received the information about how many students have applied for re-revision of the HSC and equivalent examination results from all over the country.
They also said that the exam papers of students are not re-evaluated. Only the marks given by the examiners are checked whether they are added correctly or not.
Earlier, the HSC and equivalent exam results were released on October 15. The average pass rate in 11 education boards is 77.78 percent. Application for re-evaluation of results was taken from October 16 to 22.
The HSC and equivalent exams started on June 30. There were 14 lakh 50 thousand 790 candidates. As per the first published routine, after 8 days of examinations, all examinations on 18th July were postponed due to the situation surrounding the quota reform movement. After that, the government suspended the examination in three stages.
Based on the marks obtained by the student in the SSC examination, the education board has prepared the result with the same marks in the HSC. Moreover, if there is no match between the department and the subject, the subject mapping methods have been followed.
Education Board announces SSC, HSC Exam 2025 Timeframe
Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent exams may begin in mid-April next year.
At the same time, the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC) and equivalent exams begin in the last week of June.
According to this plan, the education boards have instructed the concerned to prepare.
The source of the Ministry of Education and the Dhaka Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board informed this on Sunday (October 27).
Sources said that the government wants to implement the SSC and HSC exam schedule if no major incident occurs.
In this regard, Dhaka Board Examination Controller Professor Abul Bashar said that the month of Ramadan will continue in March. Eid-ul-Fitr may be on March 31 or April 1. Preparations are underway to take the SSC and equivalent exams after fasting and Eid holidays.
He also said that June 7 will be the holy Eid-ul-Azha. After that, we are planning to take HSC and equivalent exams.
Bangladesh-Pakistan Seminar Explores TV Ads’ Cultural Impact
A virtual seminar focusing on the cultural influence of TV advertising in Southeast Asia was held on Tuesday, October 29, bringing together researchers, students, and media professionals from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and beyond. The event, organized by Malaysia-based Arus Academy, aimed to foster collaboration between academics from Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Moderated by Prashanta Kumar Shil, head coordinator of Arus Academy's Bangladesh Chapter and senior lecturer at Port City International University, the seminar provided a platform for insightful discussions on how culture shapes TV advertisements in the region.
Jewel Das, Head of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Port City International University, delivered the opening remarks, emphasizing the importance of cross-border academic dialogue.
In his keynote address, Dr. Mohammad Ramzan Pahor, Assistant Professor at Sindh University, highlighted the deep cultural connection in regional advertisements. "Local customs and traditions are embedded in TV ads, making them resonate with viewers," he said.
Adding to the discussion, Najeeb Jatoi, Assistant Professor at Aurora University, noted, “TV ads in Southeast Asia mirror the region's lifestyles and traditions. Collaborative events like these are essential for the growth of researchers.”
The seminar also featured engaging Q&A sessions with students and participants. Other prominent attendees included Hashimuddin Mirani from Sindh University and Dr. Shabab Ali Shah, Chair of the Department of Environmental Science at Aurora University, along with guests from countries such as Malaysia, Nepal, Indonesia, India, and Afghanistan.
The event underscored the value of international cooperation in exploring the intersection of media and culture and laid the groundwork for future research initiatives between Bangladesh and Pakistan.
