Agri ties with Uganda to be expanded

Bangladesh expressed keen interest to obtain seeds of high-yielding rice varieties from Uganda and offered to develop human resources in the agricultural sector of Uganda.
Both the countries also agreed to sign a deal on agricultural cooperation.
The agreement was reached at meetings between Foreign Minister Dipu Moni and Ugandan State Minister for Foreign Affairs Isaac Isanga Musumba and Ugandan State Minister for Agriculture Aggrey Henry Bagiire in Kampala yesterday, said a foreign ministry press release.
Dipu Moni is now attending the Review Conference of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Kampala.
At the meetings, Uganda agreed to propose a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on agricultural cooperation. Bangladesh would send a delegation to Uganda to finalise the MoU.
The two sides also agreed to examine the possibility of Uganda leasing out agricultural land to investors from Bangladesh for farming.
During the discussion, they reviewed the existing level of cooperation, and examined ways to further broaden and deepen cooperation in the identified sectors.
Agricultural cooperation in the form of sharing of experience, technology and seed featured prominently in the meetings.
Ugandan State Minister for Agriculture shared the problems of distribution of food in his country despite being self-sufficient in food production.
Bangladesh also expressed its keenness to import cotton from Uganda, a major cotton producer, to feed the readymade garments industry.
The Ugandan ministers sought investment from Bangladesh in establishing readymade garments factories in their country. They said that such value addition to their cotton industry would be beneficial for both the countries.
The Ugandan ministers indicated that the investors from Bangladesh could benefit from the quota-free, duty-free export preferences Uganda enjoyed under the AGOA (African Growth Initiative of America) in exporting their products to the US market.
Dipu Moni offered to export Bangladesh's pharmaceutical products, which she described as competitive in terms of price and quality, to Uganda to meet its demand. The Ugandan ministers readily agreed to the offer.
She also said that she would soon send a business delegation to Uganda to explore the opportunities in trade and investment.