1. Home
  2. Asia
  3. Bangladesh

Manila forum to mull farmland purchases in developing countries

A vender at the Chunakhali food market in Bangladesh's Barguna District, says prices have rocketed in the wake of Cyclone Sidr, which devastated much of the area on 15 November 2007. David Swanson/IRIN
A two-day “Investment Forum for Food Security in Asia and the Pacific” opened in Manila on 7 July, and will look at escalating food prices, concerns about food production and overseas leases or purchases of farmland in developing countries.

Some 400 participants from 25 countries will discuss innovations and good practice in promoting sustainable and inclusive food security.

“The ultimate aim is to have more investment, but also better investment that responds to the needs of the undernourished and to the changing structure of the times,” Sumiter Singh Boca, policy officer for the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told IRIN.

Of the 3.5 billion people in the region, FAO estimates that 642 million live in hunger. The forum, co-organized by FAO, the Asian Development Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development is the first of its kind in the region.

nb/cb

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Get the day’s top headlines in your inbox every morning

Starting at just $5 a month, you can become a member of The New Humanitarian and receive our premium newsletter, DAWNS Digest.

DAWNS Digest has been the trusted essential morning read for global aid and foreign policy professionals for more than 10 years.

Government, media, global governance organisations, NGOs, academics, and more subscribe to DAWNS to receive the day’s top global headlines of news and analysis in their inboxes every weekday morning.

It’s the perfect way to start your day.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian today and you’ll automatically be subscribed to DAWNS Digest – free of charge.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join