Seminar on “Bangladesh: Your Destination for Investment and Trade” held in Saskatoon
Keynote speakers highlighted the vital economic sectors of Bangladesh during the seminar
Bangladesh High Commission, Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) of Saskatchewan University, and Agri-West Bio Inc jointly organised a seminar on "Bangladesh: Your Destination for Investment and Trade" on Tuesday at Saskatoon city of Saskatchewan province in Canada.
Mizanur Rahman, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Canada; Brad Redekopp, Member of Parliament for Saskatoon West; Charlie Clark, Mayor of City of Saskatoon, among others, participated in the seminar, according to a press release.
The seminar was divided into two segments. During the first segment, Paban Chowdhury, Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA); Md Sirazul Islam, Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA); Dr Selim Raihan, Professor of Economics at the University of Dhaka, and Executive Director of Sanem, among others, spoke as panel discussants.
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During the first segment, Mizanur Rahman, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Canada, spoke about Bangladesh as an emerging global trade and investment destination.
In his remarks, he also mentioned the country's trade and investment policy, broader interconnection in South Asia and Southeast Asia, growing exports, strong domestic demand, expansion of internal infrastructure and skilled workforce.
Other keynote speakers highlighted Bangladesh's vital economic sectors, including biotechnology, agricultural production, agro-food processing, farm machinery, pharmaceuticals, information technology, renewable energy, and capacity building.
Steven Webb, CEO of GIFS, said in his statement that Saskatchewan was home to one of the world's most powerful agro-food and biotechnology ecosystems, as well as leading agro-related companies and food producers.
Participants in the seminar's second segment were Dr Stuart Smith, Associate Professor at the University of Saskatchewan; Brad Redekopp, Member of Parliament for Saskatoon West; Alanna Koch, Board Chair; Steven Webb, CEO of GIFS; Miah Md. Mainul Kabir, Minister (Political) and Head of Embassy; and Md. Shakil Mahamud, Counsellor (Commercial).
The speakers emphasised the multifaceted potential of trade and technology between Saskatchewan and Bangladesh.
The seminar was attended by many CEOs of top Canadian industries, businesses, and media representatives.
The seminar was organized following a period of ongoing joint multi-faceted research, training, and development activities between Bangladesh and GIFS in 2020 to improve mutual research cooperation and food security, according to the press statement.
The key aim of the cooperation is to increase the income of Bangladeshi farmers, address the adverse effects of climate change, achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and strengthen women's empowerment by utilising Saskatchewan's advanced knowledge on agriculture, food and biotechnology.
The Canadian province, Saskatchewan, is playing a lead role in agricultural food exports, earning $12.9 billion in 2019, reads the statement.
The province exported goods worth $587 million to Bangladesh in 2019. The province's main export items are wheat, soybeans, lentils, and canola seeds.
Diplomatic relations between Canada and Bangladesh were established in 1972. Such seminars play an important role in enhancing trade, investment, and cooperation between the two countries.
