Bangladesh has moved to strengthen cooperation with Canada in livestock development, safe animal-based food production, food security, and international trade capacity building.
A high-level delegation from the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, led by Secretary Md Delwar Hossain, held a bilateral meeting with Prarthi Muthukumarasamy, director general of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), and other senior officials at the agency’s headquarters in Ottawa on Tuesday afternoon (local time), reads a press release.
The Bangladesh delegation also included Md Shahzaman Khan, director general of the Department of Livestock Services (DLS), and Md Shariful Haque, deputy director of the department.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed livestock development, food security, animal health, veterinary services, animal feed quality control, disease surveillance, research, institutional capacity building, and the implementation of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures.
They also expressed mutual interest in expanding cooperation in trade in animal products, strengthening technical collaboration, exchanging information and expertise, developing skilled human resources, and upgrading modern laboratory and food inspection systems.
Speaking at the meeting, Delwar said the Bangladesh government is giving the highest priority to producing internationally standardised safe animal-based foods and enhancing export capacity.
“Technical assistance from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency will play a vital role in further strengthening Bangladesh’s capacity in this sector,” he said.
Welcoming the Bangladeshi delegation, Prarthi expressed interest in strengthening bilateral cooperation to improve food safety, animal health, and regulatory frameworks.
He said the exchange of knowledge, technology, and experience between the relevant institutions of the two countries would increase in the future.
Both sides expressed optimism that the meeting would open new avenues for long-term cooperation in livestock development, safe food production, and international trade between Bangladesh and Canada.
