The government took various steps to produce food grains in Africa by leasing farmland there, Foreign Minister AH Mahmud Ali told Parliament yesterday.
He said Bangladesh embassies in Africa were in touch with local governments for “Contact Farming”. Private investors had also taken similar initiatives.
BhatiBangla Agritech sought clearance to appoint 11 Bangladeshis for contact farming in Zambia. Minister Ali lauded the move, saying it was a great start. “In the context of huge prospect of contact farming in African region, it is the first incident of appointment of Bangladeshi farmers.”
Nitol-Niloy Group and BhatiBangla have also been working in several African countries to take lease of 40,000 hectres of farmland, he said.
Nitol Niloy Group was trying to take lease of 10,000 hectres in Uganda and Agrotech of Al Falah Group was trying to take 30,000 hectres lands in Tanzania, Minister Ali added.
