Food Minister Seeks US Technical Support for Food Grain Preservation
Food Minister Afroza Khanam has requested technical assistance from the United States to ensure food security, test the quality of imported grains, and improve long-term grain preservation. She made the request during a courtesy meeting with the US Ambassador to Bangladesh, Brent T. Christensen.
The meeting took place on Sunday at the Secretariat, where both sides engaged in fruitful discussions on various mutual interests.
According to the Ministry of Food, the minister sought US technical support to strengthen food safety mechanisms in Bangladesh. Specifically, she requested US expert guidance and technical aid to enhance food quality inspection facilities at Chattogram and Mongla ports for imported rice and wheat.
Highlighting the challenges of long-term grain storage particularly for rice and wheat under local climatic conditions, the minister explored avenues to leverage US expertise in modern preservation technologies and management systems.
In response, the US Ambassador stated that the possibility of US expert collaboration in technical support for food safety would be taken into consideration. Both parties also expressed satisfaction with the smooth execution of wheat imports within the agreed timeline without disruptions.
During the discussion, Food Minister Afroza Khanam shared with the ambassador her recent experience inspecting a vessel carrying imported US wheat at the outer anchorage of Chattogram Port.
