Food Safety Way Forward
Beez Bistar Foundation (BBF), Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) and Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) have jointly organized “Lessons Learnt and Way Forward workshop” under Issue Based Project on Food Safety Governance in Poultry Sectors on 26 October 2021 at Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon, Dhaka.
In inaugural event, Dr. Shaikh Azizur Rahman, Director General, Department of Livestock Services was the cheif guest and chaired by Dr. Atiq Rahman, Executive Director, Bangladesh Center for Advanced Studies (BCAS). The event was moderated by Jahangir Alam Jony, General Secretary of Beez Bistar Foundation.
Dr. M, A, Sobhan, President, Beez Bistar Foundaiton (BBF) delivered welcoming speech. He said, Food Safety IBP has been implementing food safety initiatives along the poultry value chain in local and national levels from 2017 to date through Beez Bistar Foundation (BBF), Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) and Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) with strong collaboration with Department of Livestock Services (DLS), Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA), and Directorate of National Consumers Rights Protection (DNCRP). The project has been implementing in 6 districts and 7 subdistricts of Bangladesh (Delduar and Sadar of Tangail, Kumarkhali of Kustia, Sreepur of Gazipur, Poba of Rajshahi, Sadar of Rangpur and Panchlaish of Chattogram districts). This project is funded by FCDO/UKaid and managed by the PROKAS - Promoting Knowledge for Accountable Systems, British Council. Through multi stakeholder engagement and collective actions the project have significant achievement. This collective achievement should be continue with our effort for sustainable development of poultry sector.
Mr Gerry Fox, Team Leader, PROKAS, British Council said, the project have many significant achievements that need to way forward by the government or any more sources working for the growth and development of poultry sector.
Dr. Shaikh Azizur Rahman, DG, DLS as Chief Guest in the event said, BBF really doing very good job for growth and development of poultry sector in regard to producing safe poultry produce. The DLS along with BBF is very intensively and closely working as grass root level. As DLS, we are happy to extend our collaboration with the BBF and searching to develop linkage with DLS project namely LDDP and NATP.
There were five presentation presented in the event from PROKAS, DLS, BBF, BCAS and CAB. The presentations briefly discussed that multi-stakeholder engagement on policy related to the governance and regulation of the poultry sector food safety partners have made visible change in working areas i.e scientific production of safe inputs in the sector; the use of safer farming practices and more hygienic distribution and market provision; the knowledge of and access to information for small scale farmers on safe production practices as well as profit margins; and, access to information for citizens that increases the demand for safer poultry providing a market that incentives safe production.
The other speakers’ including Dr. Md. Afazuddin Miah, Director, Divisional Livestock Office, Dhaka, DLS;Dr. Malay Kumar Sur, Deputy Director, Disease control/ Production/ Technology Transfer Training, Planning Section, DLS; Mr. Abu Luthfe Fazle Rahim Khan ,Managing Director, Aftab Bohumukhi Farm & Executive Committee Member, WPSA-Bangladesh; Md. Abdur Rahim, Project Director, Livestock Dairy Development Project (LDDP), DLS; Professor Dr. M.A. Alim, Member, BFSA; shared their valuable speech in the event.
The technical session was chaired by Dr. Debashis Das, Director, Extension, Department of Livestock Services. The key speakers in this session was Dr. A.B. M. Khaleduzzaman, DD, DLS, Dr. Rana Miah, DLO Tangail, Dr. Monjur Morshed, Member, BFSA; The speakers briefly shared regarding poultry value chain actors roles including governments, market management committees, consumers’ associations, policy makers, private sector actors, Civil Society Organizations and development organizations and CSOs. The meeting strongly demand for continuation and strengthening the food safety project through multi stakeholder engagement and collective actions.